Ten Steps at a Time
by Kikiwannabanana
Summary: Hi this is a fanfic I wrote when I was 16 in 2015. I'm now 21 and got into talking about JeanMarco with the people who are close to me nowadays and decided to revive this. It's a modern art college au JeanMarco fanfiction. I hope you enjoy, and please go easy on me for the writing. This was 6 years ago hehe. Also TW for EDs, just in case.
1. Ten Steps at a Time CH 1 (Jean)

I remember the when I got into that college for the arts. I was always a pretty sel-conscience person. I found my self obsessing over my weight. I had been a large kid and always got teased for it so I turned my life around in seventh grade, trying to lose weight. But no matter what I did, I couldn't ever feel like I was normal. I always felt like the fat kid. It really only started becoming a big part of my life during the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college. That's when my eating habits started to change. My friends all noticed and they became concerned as I started losing more and more weight. On top of this, I always thought that everyone was an asshole. Even in highschool I thought this. That I couldnt trust anyone and that being nice to someone meant that they owed you and that's the only reason why anyone would be nice. This opinion of people started to change my junior year when a student from a largely popular art university transferred into our small barely known school.

I woke up to sound of my alarm. Shit, i thought as I cracked an eye open. It was too early for college. I slammed a hand down on my alarm... Then swiped to turn it off on my phone. Thinking(and groaning) about the fact that my mother would probably be hysterical and my dad would probably give me a speech about not being a dumbass while I was away. Just like every year so far.

As if to prove my thoughts, my mother opened my door in tears, telling me it was time to wake up then closing the door again. Sighing and closing my eyes for a few moments, I eventually pulled myself out of bed. Stretching, I got up before shuffling my way to the bathroom. I pulled on some jeans and a grey sweat shirt, staring at my reflection before ripping my eyes away from it and turning away. It wasnt long until I was pushing my portfolio into the back of the truck. My mother was still crying and my father kept saying, "we havent even left yet, Genevieve!" It was true. We had just finished packing everything into the car. As I was putting the last of the canvases into the truck I heard my mother say, "He cant keep coming home in between years! It just makes me more upset when he has to leave!" I rolled my eyes. "Mother," I responded, "I'll be back for the holidays." My parents looked at me, "Oh Jean," My mother exclaimed, "You dont know how difficult it is..." I shrugged. i guess not. I didnt really get why a mother would cry at getting her annoying teenage son out of the house. I shoved my motercycle into the remaining space in the truck and we were on our way.

The trip was a full day, of course. And I had to drive the second half of it, as per usual. When we arrived, my parents immediately got out and started pulling things out of the truck. Yeah, they get pretty tired of me after this trip since whenever I drive, I turn on the radio and sing very badly to whatever is on. That usually gets my mom to stop crying and start wishing we were there already so I could leave.

I got out of the car and started pulling things out of the truck, as well. We slowly made our way up to my dorm room and starting organizing everything. It looked like my roommate was already set up. Not good for me since he stole the good bed next to the window. "Oh, Jean," My mother said when we were finally done setting things up, "Im really going to miss you..." 3. 2. 1. My mother burst into tears. I hugged her, smirking. "Jesus, mother." I said softly, "Calm down." She hugged me back and sniffed. Meanwhile, my father was pretending not to notice us, examining the new setup of the dorm room.

"Hey, bro!" A familiar voice exclaimed from my open doorway then promptly added, "Oh shit sorry dude. Didn't know you were having a mommy moment." I pulled away from my mother. "Screw you, man." "Jean! No bad words!" My mother exclaimed, wiping her face.

I turned to who had walked in. Connie. The short bald-headed man was leaning against ny doorway which the most shit eating grin on his face. From the way we acted, you'd think we'd be roommates. Man, I wished we were. But we weren't. No, I got stuck with someone I absolutely hated; Eren Jeager. Eren had been in my art class and art club in my high school. We went to national portfolio day together every year. I hated him. We always argued about everything. We never got along. I dont know why we hated eachother but we just did. And now he was at the same college as I was AND was my roommate. Oh how fate hates me.

Speak of the devil. Eren walked in past Connie. "Oh, hello Eren." My mother greeted him and smiled. "Hi, Mrs. Kirchstein." He replied. (He was nice when my family is around.) "You guys need help setting up?" He offered, not expecting a yes. "Oh. Don't trouble yourself, dear. We have it under control." My very nice mother replied. "Alright." Eren finished, flopping onto his bed.

It was only a few more minutes before my parents said their goodbyes. Then my father left, pulling my blubbering mother along with him. I waved a last goodbye and shut the door behind me, leaning up against it. "Ahh... Freedom." I sighed. "Man. I feel the freedom." Connie agreed, flopping on my bed. I walked over to him. "So when'd you get here?" I asked. "This morning." Connie replied, "Sasha and I drove here together." I raised an eyebrow. "... What?" The baldie questioned. "Nothing." I replied. I was pretty damn sure that he was dating Sasha but he always denied it so I gave up on asking.

"Oh, dude. Guess what?" Connie started. "Hm?" I replied, sitting on my bed next to him. "You know Mattheius University for the Arts?" "Of course, dude. Who doesnt?" "Well," Connie continued, "Somebody transferred here from there." I stared at him in disbelief. What? Somebody transferred to our small ass college from Mattheius? The most prestigious art college in the country?! "Who is it?" I asked. "I dont know. I just heard that somebody did. I guess we'll find out though since there arent any set majors and we're all kinda bunched together." "Yeah. I guess... I bet they're kinda big headed." I said. Connie looked at me. "You never know, man. They could be pretty cool." I doubted it. I'd met Mattheius students. They were all uptight, big headed assholes. They didnt know how to have fun. Plus they all thought they were better than everyone. "So how's the whole…?" Connie looked me up and down. He was referencing my weight issues. "About the same." "Man." Eren said, "I was gonna ask, too. You look sick as Hell." "Shut up, Jaegar!" I yelled. "He's just saying you should eat more. You got a lot skinnier, Jean." Connie said. I sighed. "I know... It's okay. Dont worry." Connie didnt lose his expression, though.


	2. Ten Steps at a time CH 1 (Marco)

I had always believed that I wouldnt find a real close friend. I wasnt alone. I had a ton of friends. And my closest friends understood me better than anyone. However, they still didnt really get me fully like a real close friend would. I learned how to find company in the people I had around me even though deep inside I felt alone. That's why I always try to help others and be as nice as possibly to everyone. I try to listen and be kind. Because I knew what it felt like to have someone be rude to you.

I was really excited to make the trip to the new art college I'd be going to. I had been going to Mattheius for two years and it was a great school. But I needed to speak to the professors and get them to help me with my technique. They couldnt do that for me, however, because there were so many students. So I felt like I needed to get away... I left my close friends; Mina, Thomas, Hannah. All of then. I'll keep in contact with them but I left.

I woke up at three am. My flight was at seven. I yawned as I reached to turn off my alarm. It was really dark out. I sat up and heard the back door open and my pitbull, Mike, barking like mad. I stood and went to the bathroom. Staring at the scar stretching from the very right of my collarbone, then down my chest until it stopped in my belly area. I was lucky to leave the accident with just this. It didnt really bother me anymore. All I thought nowadays was, "What kind of cream could get rid of this thing?" I sighed then threw on the most comfortable clothes possible-sweat pants, a sweat shirt, and flip flops. I packed my laptop up and made my way downstairs. My father and I had packed all my stuff into the car last night so all I had left to do was get my laptop bag into the car. Then there was taking everything across the country via plane.

The kitchen light was on and I heard the towel rack squeek. I knew it was my mother and I smiled as I walked into the kitchen. My mother was a tall woman with dark short dark hair, freckles, and big blue eyes. She turned to me and smiled, "Buongiorno, Marco." She hugged me. I smiled and hugged her back, "Buongiorno, mother." She pulled away and looked at me. "You didnt have to get up so early, mother..." She smacked my shoulder, "Are you kidding me, Marco?" She exclaimed, "I had to get up. I wanting to be up so I could hug you and tell you how proud I am of you that you are acting on what you want so seriously." I felt my face grow hot, "Thanks, Mom." I said, smiling. "Also," she started, "I wanted to tell you, if you meet any cute boys-" "Mother!" I interrupted. "-tell me about it!" She finished, laughing. Now my face was red for a different reason. I heard the back door open and I looked over to find my father coming in. Mike followed close behind.

My father wasnt a tall man but he had a burly build. He had brown hair and brown eyes. He grinned at me. "Buongiorno, Marc." He said. I smiled. My father was not Italian but her knew the language and we spoke it around the house often, "Buongiorno, Dad." I responded. Mike ran in and jumped up on me. I stumbled and laughed, hugging the giant. "Today's the big day. You excited?" My father asked. I sighed nervously, "As ready as ever." I replied as Mike released me from his grip.

We ate breakfast and talked for at least an hour before I had to get to the airport. I got into the passenger's seat and my mother got in the back with Mike. Then my father plopped into the driver's seat and we were on our way. We talked the whole way and when we arrived, my dad helped me get all my stuff to baggage claim. I smiled at my father when we got to security. He immediately hugged me. I hugged him back. "Be safe..." He said softly. I nodded. My father pulled away, "Im proud of you, Marco." I felt my eyes tearing up. "T-Thanks, Dad..." I said. He gave me one last grin before he walked away yelling at me to make sure to call home often.

The plane ride was very boring. I slept through most of it but when I woke up and had to wait another hour for the plane to land, I was bored. I could have sketched but my sketchpad was too far away in my laptop bag in the empty seat right next to me. So I just sat there looking out the window until the pilot came on the speaker and said we were about to land. I sighed with releif. I get pretty paranoid in any moving vehicle or machine. Sleeping was really my only option.

I waited for everyone to get their things before I got up. Because these people REALLY wanted to get off this plane and I didnt feel like being trampled. When everyone in my way had gone, I got up and grabbed my laptop bag. I made my way to baggage claim and you know what's worse that trying to FIND four suitcases? CARRYING four suitcases! I managed to get my bags and started looking around for my ride before I saw a guy with blonde He-man styled hair and blue eyes. He was standing next to an even shorter man who had a very sour expression on his face and black hair that was parted. The shorter guy waved me over and I made my way to them. "Hi." The blonde said, "You're Marco, right?" I nodded and smiled. "I'm Armin." He continued, "I'm your roommate." "I'm Levi. Im the co-dean at Coirtney College of Art and Design." The shorter man said. "A co-dean?" I replied, "How interesting." "Yes." Levi replied, "Somebody has to keep all these idiots in check." I smiled a bit. "Anyways." Armin said. "C'mon. We'd better get going." I nodded as Armin took two of my suitcases and I followed he and Levi out.

Of course we took a car. Why wouldnt we take a car? I was terrified the whole time. Armin kept trying to talk to me on the ride but I couldnt speak. And when we reached Coirtney, I was glad to get out of that car. A tall guy who was pretty sweaty was waiting for us when we arrived and he offered to help us take my things to my dorm, saying his name was Bertholdt. We jumped on the offer. We went up three flights of stairs before we reaches the floor with our dorm. The room was pretty nice(not as nice as Mattheius dorms, obviously. But I wasnt complaining) and Armin and Bert helped me set up all my things. Armin saw how little I knew about the local area, so offered to show me around town during the weekend. Which was very much appreciated.

I found myself getting very tired after a while. Which made some form of sense. It had been a long day. However, I had slept for seven hours on a plane... But that didnt matter. All I knew was that I was tired and I wanted to sleep. Aafter talking to Armin and Bertholdt for a bit longer and after Bert left, I immediately got ready for bed.

"Going to bed already?" Armin asked me as I got into bed. "Yeah." I said. "I'm pretty tired." Armin nodded and smiled, "Understandably so. I was going to invite you out with me and my friends but..." "No no." I said, "I'm much too tired. It's okay." I smiled af Armin. "Alright." He said. Then he opened the door, "Goodnight." He then walked out and closed and locked the door behind him. As soon as that door shut, my head hit the pillow. I yawned. I was somewhere between stressed and excited for the next day but I was ready. I closed my eyes and drifted off.


	3. Ten Steps at a Time CH 2 (Jean)

First day back to college. I woke up early so I could get ready. Not waking up Eren even though he'd be late. I quickly weighed myself, frowning at the number. Then I grabbed my portfolio and went to my early art class, skipping breakfast and regretting it a bit because I started feeling faint later on. But anyways. The best part of this college is that you take all your core classes during your freshmen and sophmore years. Plus, it was science that could be used in art, math that could be used in art, english that could be used in art, etc. And, of course, art history. As a junior, I already finished those classes so my next two years of college would be art and only art.

I got to my art class across campus. This room was crazy, let me tell you. It was full of art horses and tables, too. And there was a ton of work everywhere pinned on the walls. There was clay and paint and every other kind of material you could think of. Armin was the only one there, looking through his portfolio. He looked up when I walked in, his blue eyes wide. "Oh. Good morning, Jean." He smiled. He was sitting in one of the drawing horses. I sat next to him. "Hey, Armin." I replied. "How was your summer?" He asked. "Busy." I said matter of factly. I unconsciously swiped my hand over Armin's bangs to fix them because they were crooked. Everyone was used to me messing with their hair. I dont know why I do it, I just do, "I had a summer job plus having to get all these summer assignments done took up a lot of time." Armin nodded. "Yeah. I was pretty busy, too. Mostly with these assignments, though." He agreed. "Can I see your summer work?" I asked. "You'll get to see it when we present our pieces." He responded with a smile. I smirked, "Fine."

Connie and Sasha soon showed up. Then Bertholdt and Annie. Mikasa showed up with a very angry and tired-looking Eren who immediately started yelling at me when he saw me for not waking him up. This escalated into an almost full-blown fight and I managed to yank his hair until Reiner came in and yelled at us to cut it out because it was too early for this shit. Soon Pixis got there(our art teacher). Everyone sat at a horse with their work next to them. Pixis started talking and I whispered to Connie, "Where's the person from Mattheius?" Connie just shrugged. Thanks, Connie. That sure helps. "By the way," Pixis said, "We have a transfer student from Mattheius. He just got here yesterday so he may be a bit late. It was probably a long flight." Armin spoke up, "He was still asleep when I left." WHAT?! Armin was this new guy's roommate!? Well... Now I knew this new person was a guy. Suddenly the door burst open and a guy who was a bit taller than me came in, panting and carrying his nice black portfolio. He had his dark hair parted down the center and was wearing a button up shirt, khakis, and flip flops. He had large brown eyes and freckles dotting his cheeks and nose.

"Ah!" Pixis exclaimed, "There you are, Marco!" Marco looked at him and said breathlessly, "I-I'm sorry Im late, sir!" "It's fine." Pixis replied with a smile, "Take a seat." This guy Marco, of course, sat in the horse next to me. Ugh. Pixis then said, "This is Marco Bodt. He will be joining us from Mattheius University of Art. He will start out where the rest of you are. He is a junior." I looked at Marco and he smiled a bit at me. I turned back to Pixis as he started talking again. "Now. We will start presenting summer work immediately. Since Armin was first into the room, he will go first." Armin laughed a bit. "Fair enough." Armin stood and started pulling his work out of his DIY portfolio. Connie whispered to me, "How'd Pixis know Armin got here first?" I smirked at him and whispered back, "Armin is always here first." Then I patted him on the head. Bertholdt helped Armin clip his work onto the presenting boards. It looked good. Everyone had very different styles and Armin's was very light and soft. He usually worked with colored pencil, watercolor, and if he worked with oil paint, it was always warm colors. We had to do 15 peices this summer. They were all very different and we could use any medium we wanted to. Pixis made Armin go through each piece, talking about his inspiration for each piece and what made him do certain things on the piece.

Armin answered every question seriously and he gave good answers. It's always unfair when someone isn't as bad as you are at speaking. Armin got done soon enough and he gathered up his work. We all clapped and Pixis finished writing down something on his clipboard. "Okay, Marco. You're up." He said. Marco got up and started putting his work up with Armin's help. But there were only ten pieces. I started thinking that maybe this Mattheius kid wasnt as good as everyone thought he was. "Okay..." Pixis said, "Marco, where are your other five?" Then the freckled fucker went out of the room and pulled in this table thing on wheels which had five clay pieces with hand carved designs on them. Plus, they were painted and gloss finished. What. The. Fuck. I felt kind of sick.

Pixis raised his eyebrows a bit before writing something down on his clipboard. "So..." Pixis said as he walked over to the 3D pieces, "Which assignments were these five?" Marco smiled a bit and pointed at each sculpture as he named the assignment it corresponded with. "This was the fish one. This is the butterfly one. The plant one. The reptile one. And this is the one that we could do anything with." Each of them were themed perfectly. "What made you think to make them into sculptures?" Pixis asked. "Well, each of the assignments had a similar theme so it made sense to me to make them into a line of similar pieces." Pixis wrote something down. Screw this Marco guy. He should have gone last. Nobody can top this shit. His style made his work look so professional. Clean lines, full but bright colors, and he had the skill. There were two oil pieces, some oil paint pieces, and there was one that was abstract and had different materials all over it. Obviously this one was experimental but it was still good! Pixis asked him a few more questions about each piece then he finished writing one last thing down before saying, "Great job, Marco. Im impressed. Especially considering you only got accepted here a month and a half before school started." "WHAT?! WHAT THE-?!" I yelled. Everybody looked at me. I felt my face become hot. Marco looked at me with wide, surprised eyes. I sunk down, extremely embarrassed... Okay. This dude did all this shit in three weeks. What. The. Actual. Fuck? This was not okay.

Armin got up and helped Marco collect his pieces. Man... I wished luck to whoever was going to follow that performance. Then Pixis spoke up, "Okay, Jean. Since you think it's good to interrupt someone's presentation. You're next." I groaned and ran a hand through my hair. Great. Damn I screwed up. I got up and Connie, with a sympathetic clap on my shoulder, helped me put my work up. Glad to know somebody was still on my side. I can't describe my style. It's sketchy. And I had a few pieces that were purely graphite and charcoal. I had a pot. And there were some abstract pieces made with oil and graphite. But the rest of them were very illustration based. Colored pencil and water color. I ran a hand through my hair and just focused on Pixis, refusing to look at my fellow classmates.

Pixis started. "Tell me which assignments these were." I went down the line explaining what each assignment was. Pixis wrote something down. "Okay..." He pointed at my pot, "This your first time working with pots?" "I... Yes." I answered. "It shows." He responded. Thanks, Pixis. That was helpful to NO ONE EVER. I looked down. "What about this one?" He pointed at my seasons piece which was four small canvases with a picture of the same little girl playing in each season. It was pretty "cartoony", I suppose. It wasn't realistic. It was more of an illustration than anything else. "Is this experimental?" Pixis asked. "No. My entire summer sketchbook has stuff like this in it." I answered. Pixis nodded a bit and wrote something down. "It looks nice, Jean." I sighed in relief. "Thank you." I knew I was good at drawing but... Money was what I was really after so Graphic Design was what I was gonna go into.

When he finished asking me questions, I started putting my work away and Connie got up to help me. Thank God that was over. The rest of class was filled with everyone else presenting their summer work and not much else. Pixis let us go soon enough and Marco walked out with Armin. That guy Marco was really pissing me off. How can somebody make pieces that are so good in such a short amount of time? I didn't understand but I stopped thinking about it and headed to my studio space. Everyone has their own studio space. We each have a room that is a pretty decent size and all the studios are situated in the same building near the dorms so if we need to do something at midnight, we could just come to the studio building. We could also ask each other for help if we ever needed it.

I got to my studio and opened the door. All of the studios had doors between them so we could get to our neighbors easily. I tossed my bag down and sighed softly. My studio was a mess... And I loved it. It looked like I had been working. Which I had been last year. There were pieces of work all around the room and there was dried paint on every easel and on the desk and chair and the floor, too. I smiled. This year was going to be great. All it was going to be was art, art, and more art. I was just about to sit down when somebody knocked on my door. I looked over and narrowed my eyebrows. I then walked over and opened the door a bit. Marco was standing there. He immediately looked at me. I glared at him. I didnt want to deal with this guy. "H-Hey." He said. "What is it?" I responded in the most "leave me alone" tone that I could. "Would you mind helping me find my studio?" ... I raised my eyebrows. What? "What-Where's Armin?" I asked. "He went to lunch with Eren and I don't know where Bertholdt is." I sighed and thought about it for a while. He'd owe me if I did this for him. So it was fine, I guess. "Fine." I said, "but you owe me." I opened my studio door and stepped out. "Oh gee. Thanks." He smiled a bit. "What studio number is it?" I asked, closing my door.

"Uhm..." Marco furrowed his eyebrows at the piece of paper in his hand. "Studio 46. I don't know where it is, though. The rooms don't have numbers on them." He continued. "Yeah. I get it." And I did. In order to find my studio, I had to count each room until I got to mine. "Well my studio is 45." I said, "So your studio is here." I walked to the next room with Marco trailing behind me. I poked the door of the studio. "Got your key?" I asked him. He dug around in his pocket for a second before fishing out his key and handing it to me. I unlocked the door and tossed the key back to him. "Ah!" He yelled, trying to catch the key but fumbling as it fell to the floor. I rolled my eyes and went into the studio. It was the size of any other studio but this one had giant windows on the far wall. This idiot had an amazing studio! What the hell was this? "Mattheius Kid Day"? Marco came in and gaped at the room. "Woww." He said in awe, "I wasn't expecting this!" He smiled and put his bookbag down. I huffed a bit and crossed my arms. "Yeah. Me neither." I mumbled.


	4. Ten Steps at a Time CH 2 (Marco)

I woke up with a start. I knew I was late and my worries were confirmed when I looked at my watch on the side table and saw I was already five minutes late. I groaned and got up quickly. I pulled on khakis, a button up shirt, and my tie dye flip flops. Combed my hair for about ten seconds and grabbed my portfolio. I grabbed the wagon/table I had my last five pieces on and, luckily, Levi was there to help me get everything down the stairs. I thanked him and rushed to the room that my class was in. I burst into the room and everyone looked at me. "Ah! There you are, Marco." The professor exclaimed. "I-I'm sorry I'm late, sir!" I replied. "It's fine. Take a seat." The professor continued. I looked around and saw a skinny guy with two-toned hair, sweat pants, a white undershirt, converse, and a green beanie on. He also had at least five piercings in each ear. Three in each lobe and two in the cartilage. Plus a nose piercing. He looked uninviting but... Attractive. So I sat next to him anyways. The professor introduced me and I caught the eye of the guy with the two-toned hair. I smiled a bit and he looked away.

"Now." The professor began, "We will begin presentations. Since Armin was first in the room, he will go first." Well that explains why he didnt wake me up. I saw a bald guy whisper something to the guy with two-toned hair. Then the guy with two-toned hair patted the bald guys' head. Armin stood and Bertholdt helped him put his work up. He was a good artist. My god his pieces were beautiful. I started to feel a bit self-conscious of my own work. After answering each question, he gathered his work and sat back down.

"Okay, Marco." The professor said, "You're next." Great... I stood shakily and Armin helped me put my ten canvases up, smiling nicely. I looked around for some form of board that couldve said the professors' name on it. I found it and I saw the name "Pixis" on it. Good to know. "Okay..." Pixis said, "Marco, where are your other five?" Right! Damn. I walked outside and pulled in my wagon/table with the rest of my pieces on it. I looked at Pixis and refrained from smiling when he widened his eyes in surprise. He wrote something down on his clipboard and said, "So..." As he walked over to my pieces, "Which assignments were these five?" I smiled and in the least shaky voice I could muster, I said, "This was the fish one. This is the butterfly one. The plant one. The reptile one. And this is the one that we could do anything with." "What made you think to make them into sculptures?" Pixis asked me. I answered with, "Well, each of the assignments had a similar theme so it made sense to me to make them into a line of similar pieces." He wrote down something and I sighed nervously. I looked around the room a bit and everyone was staring at either me or a piece that I did. I didnt like that so I looked away again just as Pixis finished writing. "Great job, Marco." Pixis said, "Im impressed. Especially considering you only got accepted here a month and a half before school started." "WHAT?! WHAT THE-?!" I heard. I looked over to find the two-tone haired guy looking like he was about to jump out of his horse. I couldnt help staring at him. What did he mean by that? How dare he?! I was just about to respond to him when I realized he looked embarrassed beyond belief, his face turning red. I sighed and started gathering my pieces as Pixis was writing on his clipboard. Armin, thankfully, helped me pull my pieces down.

"Okay, Jean." Pixis said as I sat back on the horse, "Since you think it's good to interrupt someone else's presentation. You're next." I looked at the two-tone haired guy, Jean, and found him running his hand through his hair nervously. I was about to tell Pixis it was okay when Jean stood up and started pulling his pieces out of his portfolio. A bald guy clapped Jean on his shoulder and helped him put his work up. His work was really good. My God it was good. Sketchy, yes. But the pieces that looked like little illustrations from children's books or the funny pages in newspapers looked so professional. I almost couldnt believe that someone would be able to do this with oil pain-and holy god that's not even oil paint! That's watercolor! "Tell me which assignments these were." Pixis said to Jean. Jean went down the line saying which piece was which. His season's piece was great. It was four small canvases set up in a box and there was a separate season painted in each canvas with the same little girl playing outside. "Okay..." Pixis pointed at Jean's pot, "This your first time working with pots?" "I... Yes." Jean replied. "It shows." Pixis said, writing something down. "What about this one?" He pointed at Jean's seasons piece. "Is this experimental?" Pixis asked. "No. My entire summer sketchbook has stuff like this in it." Jean answered. Pixis nodded a bit and wrote something down. "It looks nice, Jean." Jean's shoulders slumped in relief. "Thank you." He said.

Jean's presentation was over soon enough and he gathered up his things with the bald guy and sat back down, sighing. The class ended after a while and I tried to pay attention to everyone's different styles. When the class ended, Armin came over to me, "Hey." He said, smiling. I smiled back, "Hi." I stood. "How did you sleep?" Armin asked. "I slept okay." I responded as we walked out together. "Sorry I didnt wake you up. I woke up really early and I didnt think you'd be late." Armin continued. "No. It's fine. I understand." I responded, "... Hey. Can I ask you something?" "Sure, Marco. What's up?" "Uhm..." I started, "Can you tell me about Jean?" Armin laughed a bit, "Sure. Jean is-" "An asshat." A voice came from behind us. And a guy with brown hair and green eyes who was about Armin's height came up next to me. Armin sighed, "Eren..." He said. "Hi." Eren said to me. "I'm Eren. And you dont want to know Jean. He's an asshole." Armin spoke up, "He's not an asshole. You just dont like him, Eren." "He didnt wake me up this morning!" Eren exclaimed. "He doesnt like you either, Eren. Why would he be nice to you?" Armin said, "It's kind of sad, too. You'd make great friends if you would just get along." Eren scoffed. "I would never be friends with horse face." "Stop calling him that!" Armin said. Horse face? What? Armin sighed, "Jean's a good guy." Armin said to me, "He's pretty socially awkward so his friendship skills arent the best and his boyfriend skills are probably even worse but-" my face turned red, "-he's not a bad guy." I nodded, "Okay..." "Anyways, Marco. Eren and I are going to get some lunch so I'll see you later." I smiled, "Alright. Have fun." I watched Eren and Armin walk away then I went to the front building to ask about my studio space. The lady at the front office was really sweet. Her name was Petra and I found out she was married to the co-dean, Levi. She gave me my studio room number and my key.

I went to the studio building and soon found a problem: there were no room numbers on the doors. I didnt understand. I could count but the thing was, there were studios on both sides of the hallways so I didnt understand how the counting would work. I needed Armin or Bertholdt right about now. But I didnt know where Bertholdt was. I suddenly saw Jean down the hallway going into his own studio... I didnt want to ask him but I didnt see anyone else. So I walked slowly to his studio room, pulling my wagon/table thing behind me. I stood there for a minute... I didnt want to knock. I was slightly intimidated by this guy... I raised my arm and forced myself to knock. I did it... Crap! I did it! He is not going to be nice to me!

Jean opened the door slightly and he looked at me, glaring. Ehhh... I felt like I wanted to just run away... "H-Hey." I managed shakily. "What is it?" He replied coldly. I then noticed his tongue piercing. Oh God I hated this. But I had to talk to him if I wanted to get anywhere with this guy. "Would you mind helping me find my studio?" He raised his eyebrows at me. The rejection is on it's way, "What-Where's Armin?" He asked. Thank God it was just a question. No rejection yet. "He went to lunch with Eren and I dont know where Bertholdt is." He was silent for a few moments then he said, "Fine." He said, "but you owe me." He added, coming out of his studio. Oh. I owed him? This bitch, "Oh, gee. Thanks." I said smiling a bit. "What studio number is it?" Jean asked closing his door behind him.

"Uhm..." I said, looking at the paper with the room number on it, "Studio 46. I dont know where it is, though. The rooms dont have numbers on them." "Yeah. I get it." He responded. Good... He understood. "Well," he started, "My studio is 45. So your studio is here." He walked to the next studio room and poked the door. I felt like an idiot even though I shouldnt have. "Got your key?" He asked me. I dug in my pocket and pulled out the key then handed it to him. He unlocked the door and tossed the key back to me. Only thing was, I wasnt ready. I fumbled to catch it making a distressed sound in the process. He rolled his eyes then went into my studio. I followed. The studio was gorgeous. It had huge windows on the far wall looking over the city. "Woww." I said in awe, "I wasnt expecting this." I smiled and went over to the desk and set my bookbag and portfolio down. Then I wheeled my wagon/table over to the corner of the room and I heard Jean mumble, "Yeah. Me neither."


	5. Ten Steps at a Time CH 3 (Jean)

When I got back to my studio, I sighed and sat down in my spinning chair. I grabbed a piece of random wood and started to sketch out something. It was hours that I was in that room when there was another knock on my door. I sighed a bit. I was just starting to add the sketched out details to my new piece. I stood and opened the door. It was Marco again. I rolled my eyes. "Look, man. I'm not helping you with anything again today." He blinked at me owlishly before smiling a bit. "No." He said, "I was wondering if you wanted to go get dinner. I'm kind of alone. Everyone left for dinner an hour ago. I was caught up in my work." Tch. This guy. I opened my mouth to tell him to fuck off but... I found myself unable to say it. I looked at my watch. Holy shit! Seven thirty-eight?! I probably should eat something... I would have loved to skip dinner but. That might seem off to the new guy. I didn't want him to really notice my eating habits. I looked back at Marco and said, "Sure." He visibly relaxed. "C-Cool." He said breathlessly. I raised an eyebrow and went back to grab my wallet. I didn't realize Marco had come into the room behind me until he said, looking up and smiling, "How did you manage to get paint on the ceiling?" I looked up and scratched my head. "... I dont know." I said, laughing a bit, "What the fuck?" I continued. Marco grinned at me.

I went back and grabbed my wallet out of my bag then turned to Marco. "Lets go." He smiled and walked out, holding the door for me. Now. You may be wondering why i'm being somewhat nice to this guy when earlier today, I hated his guts. That's because I thought if I could get this dude to pay for my dinner somehow, it would be funny. I didn't really want to eat but… I guess it would be funny to see him pay for something that wasn't going to benefit me in any way. Just my way of getting revenge on him for doing all those amazing pieces of art in two weeks. "Im not sure where we could go." Marco admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. I sighed and rolled my eyes. "It's cool." I said, "I know a place." Marco visibly relaxed, "Good." He said, "Armin should be showing me around this weekend." I nodded in understanding. As I adjusted the green beanie on my head and became aware of Marco's tie dye flip flops. I smirked, "Tie dye? Really?" Marco laughed a bit, "Hey! These are my favorite flip flops!" He exclaimed, "If you want to look more like a stoner you need a pair of sunglasses and a rasta beanie." I said. "I don't think stoners wear khakis." He replied, grinning. "How would you know that they don't?" I questioned. "How would you know that they do?" Oh snap. Turning it back on me, eh? "Hey. Im the one hinting at the fact that you're a druggy. You don't get to do the same to me." I said. Marco grinned. "I hope you arent planning to drive in those shoes, though." I continued. He smiled a bit, "I dont have a car." "Good. You'd die in those tie dye stoner-flops if you did." I responded. He laughed a bit as we approached the motorcycle I had brought with me.

Marco visably tensed as we got closer to the motorcycle. I sighed, "C'mon." I tossed Marco my spare helmet and he caught it. "I dont know, Jean... I havent been on a motorcycle before." I looked at him as I pulled my helmet on. "You'll live." I said. He sighed and pulled the helmet on. I got on the motercycle. "C'mon." I said. Marco got on behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I kicked out the stand from under the motorcycle, started the beast up, and we headed out.

As the ride progressed, I felt Marco tighten his grip slowly. It started to hurt but I couldnt really say or do much to signal to him to stop so I did the only thing I could do. I elbowed him in the ribs. Bad move. He jumped and we nearly flipped over. I swerved to get us back into a normal position and, as pissed as I was, I didnt stop the vehicle to yell at him like I would with somebody else, for some reason. We soon got to our destination and I stood up, pulling off my helmet. I turned and raised an eyebrow at Marco who was pulling his helmet off. He caught my eye and his face turned red. "Im really sorry." He said. "I just panicked a bit. I can barely be in a car without having a panic attack much less ride of the back of a motercycle." I sighed after a few moments. "It's alright. It was just starting to hurt, man." He nodded. "R-Right! Im sorry." I shrugged and started walking towards the restaurant we were parked in front of. Marco followed behind me after a few moments but he managed to get in front of me to hold the door open for me. I smirked at him as i walked in. He smiled back.

We were seated and I said to Marco, "I figured the first restaurant you should go to in town should be this one. It's iconic." He smiled in disbelief. "How is this iconic?" He asked. I smirked, "They have a thirty-two pound burger you can order and if you eat all of it, you get your picture on their wall of fame." I responded, pointing to the wall of pictures. He looked where I was pointing and grimaced. "That's not healthy." He said. I grinned, "Of course not. It's a heap of burger and you attempt to eat it all in one sitting. A lot of people throw up after eating as much as they can." Incuding me. But we arent going to talk about that experience. I felt like shit afterwards. As if reading my mind, Marco said, "Including you?" I looked at him. "W-What? N-No of course not!" Smooth, Jean. He totally believes you. Marco raised an eyebrow at me. I looked at him for a moment before I became aware that I didnt look as threatening as I should. So I scowled. That got him. "I was only joking around." He said with a sorry expression. I sighed. I wasnt really mad. "I can forgive you if you buy dinner." Ahh... Messing with people is great. Marco smirked, "Lets see how much we order first." Damn it. He was smarter than I thought he was. I suddenly became aware that his hair was messed up slightly from the helmet, probably. And I wanted to fix it but I stopped myself. That wouldnt have been a good move.

I ordered as much as I thought I needed to fill my stomach without seeming weird. I wouldn't eat all of it but it would be funny. That was about two meals. Marco managed to find something vegetarian in this place. It was hidden in a tiny corner on the last page of the menu. "One of these days," I started, "you're gonna help me finish one of those thirty-two pound burgers." Marco smirked, "Not happening." He said. "Do you drive?" I asked. He seemed oddly taken aback. "I-erm. No. I get really bad anxiety when I get into cars..." I raised an eyebrow, "Why's that?" Marco looked down and clearly didnt want to talk about it. So I didnt press it farther and decided to change the subject, "I dont even understand how you found that vegetarian crap here." Marco laughed a bit, "You should consider being a vegetarian." I made a face, "I like bacon too much to just abandon it." I said, "I mean the pig's already dead. May as well not waste it." Marco smirked and said, "You're awful... But I'll pay for dinner." Hell yeah! Got him! "On one condition." He interrupted my thoughts and I raised an eyebrow at him, "We have to do this again." He finished. I know that I had hated this guy earlier but there was something about him that intrigued me... And maybe it would be interesting to be friends with this guy... I smiled, "Well, yeah." I answered, "Of course." His face lit right the fuck up. Of course, if we were friends, I'd have to tell him but… I couldn't tell him about my weird eating habits just yet… Too early for me.


	6. Ten Steps at a Time CH 3 (Marco)

After Jean left, I started working on a piece I had started on the day before I left for Coirtney. It was a painting that I was really proud of but it wasnt done. It was a birds-eye-view of a forest and there was a person swinging through the trees. They were using grappling hooks shot from gear attached to their hips. I dont know why I painted it, to be honest. I just thought of it and then I did it. I was even thinking about making it a series. I smiled at the piece and continued to work on it. I didnt realize how late it was. Not even when Armin came in and asked me if I wanted to go get dinner. I was so lost in my piece.

Finally, it was about seven thirty seven when I realized how late it was and when I walked into the hallway, I knew everybody had left for dinner since everyone went with Armin. I sighed and decided I'd go try to find somewhere to eat alone when I heard Jean clear his throat in his studio. Oh... Jean was still here... Yes! This was my chance. I wouldnt ask him out on a date but I would sure ask him if he wanted to eat anywhere with me. I felt confident as I walked over to his studio door and knocked. However, that confidence faded a bit when he opened the door, rolled his eyes, and said, "Look, man. Im not helping you with anything again today." I blinked a bit, processing what he said before smiling softly and responding with, "No. I was wondering if you wanted to go get dinner. Im kind of alone. Everyone left for dinner an hour ago. I was caught up in my work." Jean frowned and opened his mouth for a second then closed it abruptly. My confidence deflated. Jean looked at his watch and his eyebrows raised. Then he looked at me and said, "Sure." I felt my entire body relax and I managed a, "C-Cool." He raised an eyebrow at me before turning around and walking back into his studio. I was curious about his studio so I walked in behind him. His studio was gorgeous. In the art world, messy means gorgeous. It shows that you have done work. And his work was even more beautiful in here than the summer assignments he did. As I was looking around, I noticed a splat of reddish brown paint on the ceiling and I smiled and said, "How did you manage to get paint on the ceiling?" Jean looked up and scratched his head saying, "I dont know." He laughed a bit, "What the fuck?" I got him to laugh. I grinned at that.

Jean turned back around and grabbed his wallet from his bag. When he turned to me I said, "Let's go." And I held the door open for him. As we were walking down the hallway, I became aware that I didnt actually know where we could go. Which was just great. I didnt want to tell him this for fear of embarrassment but I did anyways, "I'm not sure where we could go." I said, rubbing the back of my neck. He rolled his eyes, "I know a place." He said. I sighed with relief, "Good." I was really embarrassing. "Armin should be showing me around this weekend." I said. Jean just nodded. I was just about to ask him if he wanted to show me around instead when he said, "Tie dye? Really?" I realized he was talking about my flip flops and I laughed a bit, "Hey! These are my favorite flip flops!" I exclaimed, "If you want to look more like a stoner you need a pair of sunglasses and a rasta beanie." He said. "I don't think stoners wear khakis." I replied, grinning. "How would you know that they don't?" He questioned. "How would you know that they do?" I replied, smirking. "Hey. I'm the one hinting at the fact that you're a druggy. You don't get to do the same to me." Jean said. I grinned. "I hope you aren't planning to drive in those shoes, though." Jean continued. Ugh... I didn't want to talk about this, "I don't have a car." "Good. You'd die in those tie dye stoner-flops if you did." Jean responded. I managed to laugh a bit but my laughter died as we approached a motorcycle.

I tensed as we got closer to the motorcycle. Jean sighed, "C'mon." He tossed me a helmet and I managed to catch it this time. "I don't know, Jean..." I said nervously, "I haven't been on a motorcycle before." Jean looked at me as he pulled his helmet on. "You'll live." He said. I sighed and pulled the helmet on. Thanks, Jean. That sure comforts me. Jean got on the motorcycle. "C'mon." He said. I got on behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist, blushing a bit. Ugh... How did I get myself into this situation? I felt the stand kick out from under the motorcycle, and I started to get nervous. Jean revved the engine alive, and we headed out.

As the ride progressed, I started to panic. This was utterly terrifying! So much worse than being in a car or on a plane! Ahh! I felt myself starting to hyperventilate and I wanted to tell Jean to stop but I couldn't so I just tightened my grip on him to keep myself from panicking. All of a sudden, his bony elbow cracked me in the ribs. Ow! My God that hurt! I jumped in surprise and pain and we started to swerve and nearly toppled over. Luckily, Jean pulled us back into a normal position and I felt my face turn red. I knew he was going to yell at me. I held onto him loosely this time... And my embarrassment kept me from hyperventilating. We soon reached the restaurant and as I was pulling off my helmet, I caught Jean's eye. He had his eyebrow raised at me, annoyed. I felt my face turn hot. I was probably pretty red right now. "I'm really sorry." I said sincerely. "I just panicked a bit. I can barely be in a car without having a panic attack much less ride of the back of a motorcycle." He stared at me and sighed after a few moments. "It's alright. It was just starting to hurt, man." He said. I nodded. "R-Right! I'm sorry." He just shrugged then turned and started walking towards the restaurant. I caught up and managed to get in front of him to open the door for him. He smirked at me and I smiled back.

As soon as we were seated, Jean said, "I figured the first restaurant you should go to in town should be this one. It's iconic." This? Iconic? I smiled in disbelief. "How is this iconic?" I asked. He smirked at me, "They have a thirty-two pound burger you can order and if you eat all of it, you get your picture on their wall of fame." He responded, pointing behind me. I looked where he was pointing and grimaced when I saw pictures of bigger guys posing with a giant patty. "That's not healthy." I said, turning back to Jean. He grinned, "Of course not. It's a heap of burger and you attempt to eat it all in one sitting. A lot of people throw up after eating as much as they can." How the heck did he know that? He probably did it. "Including you?" I said. He looked at me. "W-What? N-No of course not!" Pft! What a dork. I raised an eyebrow at him. He suddenly scowled. I knew he was trying to be scary. "I was only joking around." I said feigning guilt. He sighed grudgingly. "I can forgive you if you buy dinner." I smirked. Oh really? "Let's see how much we order first." He frowned at my response.

Jean ordered two meals. Two! Why?! Meanwhile I managed to find something vegetarian in this place. It was genuinely difficult to find. "One of these days," Jean started, "you're gonna help me finish one of those thirty-two pound burgers." Ew. I smirked, "Not happening." I said. "Do you drive?" He suddenly asked. Oh my God I didn't want to talk about this. "I-erm. No." I said, "I get really bad anxiety when I get into cars..." He raised an eyebrow, "Why's that?" I looked down. I really didn't want to talk about it. He seemed to understand because he didn't press it farther. He changed the subject with, "I don't even understand how you found that vegetarian crap here." I laughed a bit, "You should consider being a vegetarian." He made a face,"I like bacon too much to just abandon it." He said, "I mean the pig's already dead. May as well not waste it." I smirked. This guy was terrible but cute enough to buy dinner for. "You're awful..." I said, "But I'll pay for dinner." Jean smiled. "On one condition." I continued and he raised an eyebrow at me, frowning in curiosity, "We have to do this again." I finished. He smiled again, "Well, yeah." He answered, "Of course." I grinned. Yes!


	7. Ten Steps at a Time CH 4 (Jean)

The week ended smoothly and so did the next week. Marco and I learned more about eachother. As the weeks progressed. And I learned that he was a grade-A goofball who made terrible jokes and hit me a lot when I did something he didnt approve of. And he was awesome. I managed to finally get near finishing to piece I'd started on the first day of school and I even had Marco give me some advice for how I could make it look nicer. Our friendship was blossoming beautifully. I kept watching what I was eating. I found myself thinking about it a lot feeling faint a lot, and weighing myself a lot. But I figured I was alright...

I had been awake for hours, sketching. Eren was still asleep, obviously. Lazy. It was pretty early. I didnt really think anyone would be awake at this time. But I heard a door open at the end of the hallway. I was curious but I had to put something on first. Running out in only boxers may not be a good idea. I peeked out to see who was up and I saw Marco heading for the stairs. Hell yes! I headed back into my room, pulled on an undershirt, my cloud pajama pants, and socks. I grabbed my wallet and my room key then I came out of my room, closing and locking the door behind me. I sprinted down the hallway and at the halfway point of the middle of the top flight of stairs, I decided to yell, "Marco!" It was a few seconds before I heard, "Polo!" Yelled back at me. Marco. Why? "You dick get back here!" I yelled as I flew down the stairs trying to catch up to Marco.

I ran down the remaining stairs but slipped at the bottom as I was wearing socks. I slammed straight into Marco. I spluttered. Crap. Woah. Marco smells good-wait. Why am I thinking this? Marco then pushed me away, laughing, and said, "You little jerk! Get off of me!" I grinned at him. "You are not properly dressed." He said. I rolled my eyes. "Whatever." I said, "If you can wear those ugly flip flops. I can wear my cloud pajama bottoms." He smirked. I then walked past him, "C'mon. Let's go get breakfast." I said. I'd been doing this for a while. Eating at normal times and in normal-ish amounts… Okay so they weren't really normal amounts but I was pretty sure Marco didn't notice. He caught up to walk next to me.

We stepped outside and it was pretty cold. "Why the heck is it so cold?" He said. I grinned and kept walking, "Here, they get about four months of summer than winter and fall are basically the same season." I said, "Spring is warm enough." It would probably snow later this year. "Where are you from?" He asked me. "New York." I responded. "Oh." He responded, "That's not far." It wasnt. Coirtney was only a state away from New York. I nodded, "Where are you from?" I asked him. He smiled proudly, "Montana." He said. Oh shit. That explains it. I raised an eyebrow at him and said, "No wonder." "Hey!" He exclaimed, smiling a bit, "What does that mean?" I shrugged and grinned.

"I was planning to just walk somewhere." He said. Really? I looked at him, "We should eat in the cafeteria." I said. "There's nothing vegetarian there except granola and yogurt. I dont want to eat that." He responded. I groaned. "You and your 'not wanting to eat animals because it's bad' thing." I said, he laughed and said. "Shush!" I smiled at him, "We'll take the motorcycle and head somewhere." I said. He grimaced pretty deeply. "Cant we walk?" He said. I smirked, "Dude... It's fine. You'll be fine. Nothing is gonna happen. Besides. I'm not walking." He sighed shakily and looked down. I patted my shoulder to try and comfort him and said, "C'mon."

We walked to the motorcycle and I noticed that he got pretty tense. "Why do you get so terrified?" I asked him. "I dont want to talk about it right now..." He said. Oh really? I raised an eyebrow at him and said, "Why?" "It's not the right time." He answered quickly. Oh wow. Okay. Rude. I didnt respond as I walked to the motorcycle and pulled on my helmet then got on. Marco pulled on the spare helmet and got on behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

The ride was better than our first ride. He didnt crush me and I didnt have to jab him with my elbow. He seemed to just trust where we were going. I appreciated that. We got to the breakfast place I had chosen and I got off the motorcycle, pulling off my helmet and placing it on the seat of the motorcycle. Marco stood and did the same. I noticed Marco's hair was messed up from the helmet. Again. This time I could probably do something about it so I reached my hand over and fixed his hair. He made this face at me and ran a hand through his hair after I pulled my arm away. "What was that about?" He asked. "Sorry. Your hair was messed up." "Oh... Okay." Then I started walking to the restaurant and Marco caught up with me. "You could wait for me, y'know!" He exclaimed, jabbing my arm with his elbow. I grinned and said, "Ow!" He nodded and said, "See? That's how it feels to be elbowed unnecessarily hard. Now just imagine that my elbow is bonier and it'll be exactly accurate." He continued as he held open the door for me. I laughed, "Don't hate. I know you're jealous of my figure." He snorted then laughed. Really? He snorted. "Did you just snort?!" I asked, laughing. "Shut up!" He exclaimed.

Just then, a waiter came over. We both tried to stop laughing. And as the waiter was leading us to a table, I decided to make Marco seem insane so I made this face at him and he lost it. However, him losing it made me lose it, and the waiter just looked at us, really confused. We sat down, laughing, and he smacked my shoulder and said, "Look what you did! The waiter thinks we're insane!" I laughed harder and replied with, "But we are insane!" He smirked and said, "I wasnt insane until I met you." I grinned. Hell yes.

Marco got something vegetarian and I got a lot of bacon. Halfway through my meal, I realized that Marco was nearly done and I'd barely touched my food… So I tried to distract him and said, "You dont know what you're missing." And I waved a piece of bacon in his face to prove my point. He smirked and said, "Get the dead pig part away from my face or else you wont ever see it again." I just kept waving it in his face to be annoying. Then he did something I did not expect. He ate it out of my hand. What the fuck? Isnt he gonna barf or something?! I spluttered then said, "Dafuq?! ... I did not expect you to do that." He shivered in disgust then took a large gulp of his coffee. "I think I'm okay with missing that." He said. Pffft! I burst into laughter. He smirked and reached over the table to smack my shoulder.

When we got back, Connie and Sasha were there and they ran to us as we pulled into the parking lot. As I stood and placed the helmet on the seat, Connie said, "Hey, guys. Where'd you go off to?" I looked at him like he was stupid. He shrugged and I said, "Breakfast." Then I walked past him. Connie caught up with me then I heard Sasha yell, "You guys go on ahead! I want to show Marco a piece I'm working on." I turned and walked backwards so I could face Marco as I said, "Oh. Alright. See ya, then, Marco." He smiled and said, "See you, Jean." I turned back around and Connie and I headed for the commons building. "So what were you and Sash doing?" Connie didnt answer me. I raised an eyebrow and punches his shoulder. "OW! Dude!" He exclaimed, looking at me. "Dont ignore me, man." I said. Connie sighed, "Look, dude." He said, "I gotta talk to you about Marco." I raised an eyebrow. Talk to me about Marco? What? Was he some kind of criminal mastermind and Connie wanted to let me know? We got to the commons building and Connie held the door open for me. "Why?" I asked as we made our way to the fireplace, couch, and chairs. "Well. Before that. How are you feeling?" He asked as I sat on the couch and Connie sat in the chair diagonal to me. "I'm fine." I rolled my eyes. "okay.." He said. It was quiet… "How do you feel about Marco?" He suddenly asked. I choked on my own spit and coughed, "God, dude..." I said, trying to compose myself, "You surprised me." Connie laughed, "Clearly!" Connie suddenly stopped laughing and said seriously, "Now. Answer the question, Kirschstein." I groaned and said, "He's cool." Connie rolled his eyes. "Dude." He said, "Not a good answer." I sighed, "Fine." I said, "He's a massive goofball but he's really nice and he's a great guy." Connie nodded a bit and thought about something for a few long moments before suddenly saying, "Ask him out!" I spluttered and yelled, "WHAT?! No! Dude!" Connie rolled his eyes and said, "You have to. I know you're into him." I sighed. Yeah right. I was not into that idiot... Okay. Maybe a little... "Fine." I said, "I'll ask him out." "Yes!" Connie exclaimed. "If!" I continued, "You ask Sasha out." Connie turned red and said, "Noo... Dude... You're cruel..." I smiled evilly, "Mwahahahahahhaaaaaaa!" I exclaimed. "You heard me." Connie groaned.


	8. Ten Steps at a Time CH 4 (Marco)

The rest of the week and the week after went by pretty normally. Nothing big happened besides the fact that Jean and I got more comfortable around eachother. Jean and I ate dinner at the same place everyday. And I was glad for it. Our relationship as friends was "blossoming into a pretty no-homo flower." As Jean put it on Friday evening. And I commended him on his beautiful choice of words. I could say that we were friends now. I didnt ask Jean to show me around town in the end. So Armin did it. Which was fine. Armin was great. But I wanted to gain more points with Jean. To bad I was too afraid to ask him. Oh well... It was for the best, I supposed. I bet Jean barely knew anything about the city. In fact, I didnt even know where he was from. Maybe it would be beneficial to find that out.

I woke up Saturday morning at around nine. Not too bad. I would have liked to wake up an hour earlier but that was alright. I stretched and sat up. Armin had already left. As per usual. I got up and pulled on blue jeans, a sweat shirt, and my blue flip flops with black swirls on them. I picked up my sketchbook, a pencil, and my room key then headed out, closing and locking the door behind me. I was about halfway down the second floor flight of stairs when I heard Jean yell, "Marco!" From up the stairs. I kept walking, "Polo!" I answered. "You dick get back here!" I heard him yell at me. I grinned and ran down the remaining stairs, waiting for him at the bottom.

I saw Jean come down the remaining stairs. He was wearing pajama pants that were blue with clouds on them and a black undershirt. He had socks on so he lost traction on the wooden floor as he ran down the stairs and crashed straight into me. We both made spluttering sounds and I laughed. "You little jerk! Get off of me!" I said as I pushed him away. He grinned at me. "You are not properly dressed." I said. He rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He said, "If you can wear those ugly flip flops. I can wear my cloud pajama bottoms." I smirked. Jean walked past me. "C'mon. Lets go get breakfast." I smiled and caught up to walk next to him.

When we stepped outside, I realized just how cold it was already getting. I shivered. "Why the heck is it so cold?" I said. Jean grinned and kept walking, "Here, they get about four months of summer then winter and fall are basically the same season." Jean replied, "Spring is warm enough." I smiled a bit and kept up with Jean. "Where are you from?" I asked him. "New York." He responded. "Oh." I said, "That's not far." Coirtney was located in Pennsylvania. So that was only a state away. He nodded, "Where are you from?" He asked me. I smiled, "Montana." I said. He raised an eyebrow at me and said, "No wonder." Oh really? "Hey!" I exclaimed, smiling a bit, "What does that mean?" Jean just shrugged and grinned.

"I was planning to just walk somewhere." I said. Jean looked at me, "We should eat in the cafeteria." He said. "There's nothing vegetarian there except granola and yogurt. I dont want to eat that." Jean groaned. "You and your 'not wanting to eat animals because it's bad' thing." I laughed. "Shush!" I said. Jean smiled at me, "We'll take the motetcycle and head somewhere." He said. I grimaced, "Cant we walk?" He smirked, "Dude... It's fine. You'll be fine. Nothing is gonna happen. Besides. I'm not walking." He said. I sighed shakily and looked down. He patted my shoulder. "C'mon." He said.

We approached the motercycle and I felt tense. "Why do you get so terrified?" He asked me. "I dont want to talk about it right now..." He raised an eyebrow at me and said, "Why?" "It's not the right time." I answered quickly. He seemed taken aback by my abruptness and when we reached the motercycle, he just pulled his helmet on and got on. I sighed. He was probably kind of annoyed with me. I grabbed the spare helmet and pulled it on. Then I got on the motercycle behind Jean and wrapped my arms around his waist. Then we started moving.

Still not a fun ride but I didnt almost break his ribs this time. Which was good. I didnt even know where we were going. I was trusting Jean. Which may not have been the best idea because he seems to forget a lot that I'm vegetarian. He always offers me food that I can't eat. Jean parked in the lot of some breakfast place and I sighed a bit. If there was nothing vegetarian here, I would walk somewhere else. I pulled off my helmet as Jean was putting his helmet on the seat of the motercycle. I stood and did the same. Suddenly, he reached his hand over and fixed my hair. What? I made a face at him and ran a hand thhrough my hair. "What was that about?" I asked. "Sorry. Your hair was messed up." "Oh... Okay." Jean was already halway to the door when I caught up with him. "You could wait for me, y'know!" I exclaimed, jabbing his arm with my elbow. He grinned and said, "Ow!" I nodded, "See? That's how it feels to be elbowed uneccessarily hard." I said, "Now just inagine that my elbow is bonier and it'll be exactly accurate." I continued as I held open the door for Jean. He laughed, "Don't hate. I know you're jealous of my figure." I snorted then laughed. "Did you just snort?!" Jean asked, laughing. "Shut up!" I said.

When a waiter came over to seat us, we attempted to quickly compose ourselves. But as the waiter was leading us to a table, Jean made this horribly goofy face at me and I lost it, which made him lose it, and confused the waiter immensly. We sat down, laughing, and I smacked his shoulder and said, "Look what you did! The waiter thinks we're insane!" Jean just laughed harder and replied with, "But we are insane!" I smirked and said, "I wasnt insane until I met you." Jean grinned triumphantly.

I found something vegetarian, luckily, and it actually wasnt hidden on the menu. Jean got a lot of bacon and halfway through his meal, he said to me, "You dont know what you're missing." And he waved a peice of bacon in my face. I smirked and said, "Get the dead pig part away from my face or else you wont ever see it again." Jean just kept waving it in my face so I did what I had to do to freak him out; I ate it right out of his hand. Jean spluttered and looked utterly shocked then said, "Dafuq?! ... I didnt expect you to do that." I shivered in disgust as I swallowed the bacon. Then I took a large gulp of my coffee. "I think I'm okay with missing that." I said. Jean burst into laughter. I smirked and reached over the table to smack his shoulder.

When we reached campus and were putting our helmets down, Connie and Sasha ran to us. "Hey, guys." Connie said, "Where'd you go off to?" Jean looked at Connie and said, "Breakfast." Then he walked past Connie. I was just about to go to catch up to Jean, when Sasha grabbed my arm, nearly making me drop my sketchbook, and yelled to Jean and Connie, "You guys go on ahead! I want to show Marco a peice I'm working on." I raised an eyebrow at her and Jean turned and said, "Oh. Alright. See ya, then, Marco." I smiled, "See you, Jean." Then I watched Jean and Connie head to the commons building. I looked at Sasha. "What peice?" Sasha started walking to the studio building, pulling me along with her. I didnt understand. "What are we doing, Sasha?" I questioned. She didnt answer me. We walked to her studio space and went inside. Wow, there was a lot of neon paint and ink in here. Sasha closed the blinds covering the window on the far side of he room, pushed me over to the couch and made me sit, then she went over and switched off the lights. Before I knew it, there was a bright light emitting from her phone right in my face. I squinted and said, "Sasha-! What-?! Why-?!" Sasha stared at me and said suddenly, "What do you think about Jean? And answer honestly!" I spluttered and responded with, "Why are you-? What-?!" Sasha made a face at me and yelled, "Answer the question, Bodt!" I didnt know what to do. I was really confused. So I just answered her question with, "Jean's really cool. He's funny and a good friend. Can I leave now?" Sasha gave me a very intense stare for about thirty seconds and I tried not to look at her. Then she said suddenly, "Ask him out." I almost died of heat stroke, my face got so hot. I spluttered again. "What?!" I exclaimed. "No! Wait. Why would I ask him out?" She smacked my shoulder, "Because you like him?! Duh!" She yelled.

I felt like I was going to die of embarassment. I covered my face. "Sasha..." I said. "You have to ask him out, Bodt!" She exclaimed. "Dont call me Bodt." I said. "Fine. You have to ask him out, Marco." "No." I answered immediately. "He's not into that." I continued. Sasha rolled her eyes and said, "Jean is not straight, Marco." I looked at her through my fingers and said, "How do you know?" Sasha was smirking and she said, "I went to highschool with him. I know." I sighed softly and said, "Look, Sasha. I dont think he likes me like that. Besides, we've only known eachother for two weeks." Sasha flailed a bit and said, "Marrrrcccooo!" I sighed, "Can I please leave?" I asked. She huffed and turned back on the light. "Fine... Where are you gonna go?" I didnt want to tell her where I was going to go. She would judge me. But... She was probably going to the same place, "The commons building." I said. Sasha yelled, "I KNEW IT! You little-!" Then she started hitting my arm. I laughed, she was so ridiculous, "Stop!" I exclaimed, "You're going there, too!" "Yeah but that's because of Connie! Not Jean!" I raised an eyebrow, "Maybe you have a crush on Connie." I said, and walked right out of the studio. I noticed that she fell very silent, then, and just followed me to the commons building.


	9. Ten Steps at a Time CH 5 (Jean)

"Look. Man," Connie said angrily, hushed, "You cant turn this back on me." I smirked and hushed back, "Yes I can. And if you dont ask Sasha out, I wont ask Marco." Connie sighed. Then he suddenly looked behind me and said, "Heeeyy! Marco. Sash." Oh shit. Hopefully they didnt hear us. I turned. "O-Oh. Hey, guys." I said. Marco raised an eyebrow and said, "What are you talking about?" As he headed for the chair. However, Sasha did a running leap for that chair and flopped down into it. "Nothing important." Connie answered Marco. Marco stared at Sasha for a few moments before coming and sitting down next to me, very confused, and putting his sketchbook down next to him. "Well it was obviously important enough for you teo to be hushed as you talked about it." He said, smirking. I shook my head and said, "We were just chatting about something." Marco raised an eyebrow at me but let it go.

Sasha stood and exclaimed, "Connie! We have to go do that thing!" And Connie narrowed his eyebrows, "We do?" "Yeah! Remember?" She said. Connie looked so effing confused. Sasha sighed, "We have to go help Pixis. He asked me and you to help him with a thing but I forgot until now." Connie suddenly had a yelked, "Oh! Shit. R-Right!" He glanced at me and Marco and I scrunched my eyebrows together. They had to go help Pixis? "We gotta go." Connie finished, standing. Hmmm...

Connie patted me on the shoulder and said, "See ya for lunch, man." Then he and Sasha left, with Sasha yelling, "Byyyeee!" Marco sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Man, I'm so done..." He said quietly. I nodded. "Yep." I agreed. "So what peice did she show you?" I asked him. He kept pinching the bridge of his nose as he said, "Oh. J-Just this painting. It had really bright colors. Kind of hurt my eyes." I said, then he smiled at me, pulling his hand away from his face. Yep. Sasha's stuff was really colorful. "Oh. Alright." I said, smiling back.

I noticed Marco's sketchbook and realized that I really wanted to look through it. So I grabbed it. Marco jumped and put a hand on his chest, "You scared me." He said. Dork, "Pfff!" I replied as I opened his sketchbook. I grinned as he flipped through the drawings. Damn. These were really great... I should tell him. So I did. "These are great." I said. He stared at me. "Yeah right." He said, "I think they're terrible." I smirked at him. This idiot, "Shut up you. You got accepted into Mattheius." He sighed and said, "My older sister, Jamie, went to Mattheius. So I had an advantage. She was an alumni. She created an amimated movie and worked on other animations when she graduated." Oh wow. That's one impressive sister. However, Marco's art was amazing. I smiled, "I think you are good enough that they would let you in without having an alumni sister." He smiled back. "That's real cool that your sister was alumni. What does she do now?" "... She passed away six years ago..." He said, looking down. I spluttered a bit. Shit. I said quickly, "I'm s-so sorry, Marco. I had no idea. Oh God I'm so stupid." "No, Jean. It's okay! It wasnt your fault. You didnt know." He tried to reassure me. I sighed, I was such an idiot. Dammit. "I-um..." He started, "I was in the car with her when it happened... I was badly hurt. It was really traumatizing." I looked at him and said, "Is that why you get so scared when we go on the motercycle?" He nodded. Of course that's why, Jean. You idiot. He replied with, "Any moving vehicle makes me panic. I mean, I was only in the ninth grade but it still affected me." I nodded vigorously and said, "Well yeah... I'm sorry, man." I patted his shoulder, trying to reassure him. He smiled a bit, "I-It's alright... I mean... I get a lot of exercise from walking." He said.

I grinned and said, "I'll bet." And continued flipping through his sketchbook. "I'm gonna try to help you get over your fear." I said. It's the least I could do after being such an ass. "Y-You dont have to. I dont really think it's neccessary..." He said. I looked at him. "Are you kidding me?" I said, "I want to help. It's so much better to get around quicker. I mean, you wont be able to visit parts of places you plan to visit without a vehicle. A bus, a car, a bike." He sighed. I turned the page and was suddenly hit with a bunch of sketches of myself. I looked at Marco with an eyebrow raised. "When did you draw these?" I asked. "On Wednesday." He said, "I'm sorry. I just got bored and I-" "Dude it's fine." I interrupted. It was actually really nice, "They're good. And I dont mind. I've drawn you before." I continued, shrugging, and his face got even redder. "O-Oh." He said. Then his phone started ringing. Rude. "Oop. That's me." He said as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. I kept looking through his sketchbook. "Hello?" He answered my phone. I smirked. "Oh my God! Hey." Marco said, smiling a bit. I raised an eyebrow.

"Um. You?" Marco said, grinning. Dork. He laughed a bit. "That's great!" He said, "When are you coming?" Wait what? Who the hell is coming?" Wait what?" Marco said. Exactly, Marco. Marco smirked and said, "Right."When are you coming in?" He asked. "Well that's great. I cant wait for you to meet my friends here." He said, smiling. Who the fuck is coming?! "Alright, Thomas. Bye." He said. Who the hell is Thomas? He hung up then put his phone into his pocket. "Who was that?" I asked. "One of my friends from Mattheius, Thomas." He responded, "He and my other friend, Mina, are coming to visit tonite." I nodded, still looking at his sketchbook. "Cool, man. Cant wait to meet them." "Yeah. You sound so enthusiastic about it." He responded sarcastically. I looked at him and smirked, "I'm serious." I said.

Mikasa walked in with Armin. "Oh. Hey guys." Armin said to us as he and Mikasa walked over to where we were sitting. Marco smiled at them. "Hi, Armin. Hi Mikasa." He greeted. "Hi Marco." Mikasa replied and she sat down next to Marco. Meanwhile Armin sat in one of the chairs. Mikasa opened her sketchbook to a drawing of Eren and showed it to Marco , asking, "Does it need something?" Of course she would ask Marco. He's the expert here. But. It was a drawing of Eren. "It needs a dose of shit. Oh it already has that. Nevermind." I said. Marco gasped a bit, "Jean!" He said. Then he smacked ny shoulder really hard. I flinched, "Ow!" I exclaimed, glaring at him. "Okay. That did not hurt, first of all." He said, "Second of all, stop it." I frowned and closed his sketchbook. Bitch.

Marco looked back at Mikasa's drawing and said, "You should make it a big peice. It's really great. Also, with the way Eren looks, I think you could probably paint it and get some dark and light values in there pretty close together." Nerd. I cant believe they were giving Eren so much praise. I made an annoyed sound and they didnt respond to me. "I feel like you could put more light in his eyes. Give him more expression." Marco added. Smartypants. Mikasa nodded again, "I see." She said. I tapped Marco and he looked at me. I then pointed to a drawing Marco had done in his sketchbook of a warrior in armor and long brown hair with beads in it. It was anazing. "You need to make THIS a large peice, Freckles." Marco turned a bit red and scooted closer to me to point out details... He smells good-Arg. Dont think like that. "I didnt like this drawing. The way my lines were turning out werent my favorite. You see that?" He pointed to a spot in the warriors' ear. What? Did he think he messed up? Really? I laughed and said, "What the fucking shit are you talking about?! That?!" I pointed to what I thought Marco meant by the spot and he nodded and said, "Yeah! See?" I kept laughing and said, "You bitch! I make those little mistakes all the fucking time! All over every peice I do!" He smirked and replied with, "Yeah but it looks good on yours'" "Oh wow. Thanks." I said, "Dont worry about it, Jean. Your drawings have billions of mistakes but they still look good.'" I mocked. He laughed. "Shut up!" He exclaimed. "You made ONE fucking mistake on one drawing and you're like, 'Oh noes it's ruined forever!'" I said. He laughed harder.

Suddenly Eren came up behind the couch and said, "D'aww. You found somebody who actually laughs at your jokes, horseface." Bitch. I glared at Eren and flipped him off slowly. Marco grabbed my hand which forced me to put down my bird. I tried to pull my hand away but the dude had an iron grip. His hand was pretty warm, actually... I felt my face get hotter and I looked at him. "Dude." I said. "No." He replied. Eren opened his mouth to say something but then Armin interrupted with, "H-Hey! Eren. Why dont you come see what I drew!" Eren sighed and walked over to Armin. Marco let go of my hand and looked at me with a raised eyebrow. God. This guy. Making me all flustered. I looked at him for a few seconds before turning back to his sketchbook. Mikasa said suddenly, "Hey, Marco. Do you want to get lunch with Armin, Eren, and I?" He looked at her and said, "Sure."

W-Wait! What? Nooo... I made a noise and grabbed Marco's arm. He looked at me. "Why not have lunch with Connie, Sash, and I, dude?" I said. "O-Oh! U-Um. I-Eek! I dont know! You didnt ask me before and now I've committed to something else. I'm sorry, Jean." He said quickly. I sighed. Dumbass. "It's alright. But we're having dinner together, right?" I said. He smiled and said, "Of course. And can we wait until my friends from Mattheius get here? I want to have dinner with them." I nodded a bit, "Fair enough." I said. Mikasa stood and said, "Meet us in the parking lot at around one." Marco nodded. The car would probably be an issue. Oh well... Maybe I could go back to my old habits since Marco wasnt watching me eat lunch… Dinner would be different.


	10. Ten Steps at a Time CH 5 (Marco)

When Sasha and I reached the commons building, we spotted Jean sitting on the couch facing the fireplace, and Connie sitting in the chair diagonal to the couch. Connie was saying something hushed to Jean and he looked pretty serious about it. Jean said something back just as hushed and serious. When Connie spotted us he said, "Heeeyy! Marco. Sash." Jean turned and said, "O-Oh. Hey guys." I raised an eyebrow. Weird. "What are you talking about?" I asked as I went to sit in the other chair. Well, attempted to sit. Sasha sprinted and flopped into that chair right before I sat down and I looked at her very confused. She just stared back. "Nothing important." Connie answered my question. I went and sat down next to Jean on the couch, dropping my sketchbook next to me. I smirked, "Well it was obviously important enough for you two to be hushed as you talked about it." Jean shook his head and said, "We were just chatting about something." I raised an eyebrow and normally I'm really stubborn about these things but I let it go. I didn't want to be that guy.

Sasha suddenly stood and exclaimed, "Connie! We have to go do that thing!" And Connie narrowed his eyebrows, confused. "We do?" "Yeah! Remember?" She said. Connie looked like he was wracking his brain trying to remember. Sasha sighed, "We have to go help Pixis. He asked me and you to help him with a thing but I forgot until now." Connie suddenly had a revelation, "Oh! Shit. R-Right!" He glanced at Jean and I. "We gotta go." He finished, standing. Jean had his eyebrows scrunched together, confused. I knew what was happening. They wanted to leave us alone. I don't know why. These people were ridiculous. Good thing Jean was too socially awkward to understand what Connie and Sasha were doing.

Connie patted Jean on the shoulder and said, "See ya for lunch, man." He said. Then he and Sasha left, with Sasha yelling, "Byyyeee!" I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Man, I'm so done..." I said quietly. Jean nodded. "Yep." He agreed. "So what piece did she show you?" Crap. Im terrible at lying. I kept my fingers on the bridge of my nose so as to hide my face a bit. "Oh. J-Just this painting. It had really bright colors. Kind of hurt my eyes." I said, then I pulled my hand away from my face and smiled at Jean to, hopefully, seal the deal. Jean bought it. "Oh. Alright." He said, smiling back.

It was a few moments. Then Jean suddenly grabbed my sketchbook. I jumped a bit at the movement and put a hand on my chest in surprise. "You scared me." I said. "Pfff!" Jean replied as he opened my sketchbook. He grinned as he flipped through my drawings. "These are great." He said. I stared at him. "Yeah right." I said, "I think they're terrible." Jean smirked at me, "Shut up you. You got accepted into Mattheius." I sighed and said, "My older sister went to Mattheius. So I had an advantage. She was an alumni. She created an animated movie and worked on other animations when she graduated." Jean smiled, "I think you are good enough that they would let you in without having an alumni sister." I smiled a bit back. That was sweet. "That's real cool that your sister was alumni. What does she do now?" I didn't want to talk about this... "She passed away six years ago..." I said, looking down. Jean spluttered a bit and said quickly, "I'm s-so sorry, Marco. I had no idea. Oh God I'm so stupid." "No, Jean. It's okay! It wasn't your fault. You didn't know." I reassured him. Jean sighed, obviously angry with himself. "I-um..." I started, "I was in the car with her when it happened... It was really traumatizing." Jean looked at me and said, "Is that why you get so scared when we go on the motorcycle?" I nodded and replied with, "Any moving vehicle makes me panic. I mean, I was only in the ninth grade but it still affected me." Jean nodded vigorously and said, "Well yeah... I'm sorry, man." He patted my shoulder in a friendly, reassuring way. I smiled a bit, "I-It's alright... I mean... I get a lot of exercise from walking." I said.

Jean grinned and said, "I'll bet." And continued flipping through my sketchbook. "I'm gonna try to help you get over your fear." He suddenly said. What? No. "Y-You dont have to. I dont really think it's necessary..." Jean looked at me. "Are you kidding me?" He said, "I want to help. It's so much better to get around quicker. I mean, you wont be able to visit parts of places you plan to visit without a vehicle. A bus, a car, a bike." I sighed. He was right, of course. I knew that... Jean got to a page where I had been doodling during class. And, of course, there were sketches of Jean on the page. I felt my face get hot and Jean looked at me with an eyebrow raised. "When did you draw these?" He asked. "On Wednesday." I said, "I'm sorry. I just got bored and I-" "Dude it's fine." Jean interrupted, "They're good. And I dont mind. I've drawn you before." He shrugged and my face got even hotter. He's drawn me? What?! Oh my god. "O-Oh." I said. Then my phone started ringing. "Oop. That's me." I said as I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. Jean kept looking through my sketchbook. "Hello?" I answered my phone. "Hey!" A familiar voice said, "It's me. Thomas." The voice continued. Holy shit. Thomas? How did he get my number. Thomas was one of my friends from Mattheius. Mina must have given my number to him. "Oh my God! Hey." I responded, smiling a bit.

"Guess who's coming to visit?" Thomas said. "Um. You?" I responded, grinning. "And Mina, dude!" Thomas exclaimed. I laughed a bit. "That's great!" I said, "When are you coming?" "Tomorrow, dude. We're in the airport now." "Wait what?" I responded. "Yeah, man! It's gonna be sick!" I smirked at the choice of words. "Right." I agreed, "When are you coming in?" I asked. "Tonite around eight I'd say." He answered. "Well that's great. I cant wait for you to meet my friends here." I said, smiling. "Yeah, bro!" Thomas exclaimed, "We'll see ya then." "Alright, Thomas. Bye." I responded. Thomas hung up then and I locked my phone again, shoving it into my pocket. "Who was that?" Jean asked. "One of my friends from Mattheius, Thomas." I responded, "He and my other friend, Mina, are coming to visit tonite." Jean nodded, still looking at my sketchbook. "Cool, man. Cant wait to meet them." I rolled my eyes, "Yeah. You sound so enthusiastic about it." I responded sarcastically. Jean smirked at me. "I'm serious." He said.

Suddenly Mikasa walked in with Armin. "Oh. Hey guys." Armin said to us as he and Mikasa walked over to where we were sitting. I smiled at them. "Hi, Armin. Hi Mikasa." I greeted. "Hi Marco." Mikasa replied and she looked like she wanted to sit next to me so I scooted over and she sat in the space I had made. Meanwhile Armin sat in one of the chairs. Mikasa opened her sketchbook and showed me a sketch of Eren that she had done. "Does it need something?" She asked me. Why was she asking me? I'm no expert. "It needs a dose of shit. Oh it already has that. Nevermind." Jean said out of the blue. I gasped a bit, "Jean!" I said, and I smacked his shoulder. Jean flinched, "Ow!" He exclaimed, glaring at me. "Okay. That did not hurt, first of all." I said, "Second of all, stop it." Jean frowned and closed my sketchbook. I probably irritated him... That was alright with me, to be honest. He was being rude.

I looked back at Mikasa's sketch and said, "You should make it a big piece. It's really great. Also, with the way Eren looks, I think you could probably paint it and get some dark and light values in there pretty close together." I heard Jean make an annoyed noise in the back if his throat. I ignored it. And so did Mikasa as she nodded her head in understanding at what I had said. "I feel like you could put more light in his eyes. Give him more expression." I added. She nodded again, "I see." She said. Jean tapped me and I looked at him. He then pointed to a drawing I had done in my sketchbook of a warrior in armor and long brown hair with beads in it. "You need to make THIS a large piece, Freckles." I turned a bit red at the nickname and scooted a bit closer to Jean so I could point out details about the drawing. "I didnt like this drawing. The way my lines were turning out weren't my favorite. You see that?" I pointed to a place in the warriors' ear where I had messed up and Jean laughed and said, "What the fucking shit are you talking about?! That?!" He pointed to the spot and I nodded and said, "Yeah! See?" Jean kept laughing and said, "You bitch! I make those little mistakes all the fucking time! All over every piece I do!" I smirked and replied with, "Yeah but it looks good on yours'" "Oh wow. Thanks." Jean said, "'Don't worry about it, Jean. Your drawings have billions of mistakes but they still look good.'" He mocked. I laughed. "Shut up!" I exclaimed. "You made ONE fucking mistake on one drawing and you're like, 'Oh noes it's ruined forever!'" He said. I laughed harder.

Suddenly Eren came up behind the couch and said, "D'aww. You found somebody who actually laughs at your jokes, horseface." Jean glared at Eren and flipped him off slowly. I smirked a bit and grabbed Jean's hand so as to get him to stop flipping Eren off. Jean tried to pull his hand away but I knew he was just going to do the same thing again. So I didn't let go. Jean looked at me, his face was a bit red. But it was pretty cold in here so it could have been from that. "Dude." He said. "No." I replied. Eren opened his mouth to say something but then Armin interrupted with, "H-Hey! Eren. Why don't you come see what I drew!" Eren sighed and walked over to Armin. I let go of Jean's hand and raised an eyebrow at him. He looked at me for a few seconds before turning back to my sketchbook. Mikasa said suddenly, "Hey, Marco. Do you want to get lunch with Armin, Eren, and I?" I looked at her and smiled, "Sure." I said.

Jean made this weird noise and grabbed my arm. I looked at him. "Why not have lunch with Connie, Sash, and I, dude?" Jean said. Oh my God. What? "O-Oh! U-Um. I-Eek! I don't know! You didnt ask me before and now I've committed to something else. I'm sorry, Jean." I said quickly. Jean sighed and said, "It's alright. But we're having dinner together, right?" I smiled. He was, surprisingly, really needy. I nodded then said, "Of course. And can we wait until my friends from Mattheius get here? I want to have dinner with them." Jean nodded a bit, "Fair enough." He said. Mikasa stood and said, "Meet us in the parking lot at around one." I nodded. We'd be taking a car, probably.


	11. Ten Steps at a Time CH 6 (Jean)

I said my byes to Marco when one o clock came around and I told him not to worry about the car and that he would be just fine. After we parted ways, I headed for the classroom where Connie and Sasha said they'd be. I went into the classroom and Sasha and Connie were organizing folders and paints. When Connie saw me he smiled and said, "Hey, man. What's up? Where's Marco?" I sighed, "Mikasa asked him if he'd eat lunch with before I got a chance to and he said yes to her." Connie laughed, "Sucks to be yooouu. Now he's going to hang out with Eren." I groaned, "Don't remind me." I said.

"Anyways," Sasha started, "You guys ready to go?" "Yeah." I said. "Thanks for your help, guys!" Pixis yelled from the back of the room. "No problemo, sir!" Connie yelled back. Then the three of us headed out. We decided to walk to the nearest chinese place. So we did. And we got there in about ten minutes. I couldnt say that Marco had such an easy time. Because he texted me five minutes after Connie, Sash, and I were seated woth: "I'm horrified :(" I frowned a bit as if to match the emoji and Sasha said, "What?" In response to my expression. "Marco's panicking right now because he's in a car." Sasha frowned and Connie said, "Poor guy..." Sasha suddenly smiled then said, "We should take a selfie and send it to him!" I smirked. "Sure." I agreed. Connie suddenly pulled the wooden chopsticks on his side apart and stuck them up his nose. "Perfect!" Sasha exclaimed and she did the same thing. I laughed and did the same. Then Sasha and Connie scooted into my side of the booth. We all made ridiculous faces and I held Sasha's pony-tail up on her head. I took a selfie of all three of us and when we looked ag it, we all cracked up, pulling the cchopsticks out of our noses.

"Perfect." I said as the two of them went back to their own side. I texted Marco with: "Relax. Here. Have this." Then I sent him the selfie, smiling the whole time. "Why is he so terrified of vehicles?" Connie asked. I was about to blurt it out but then I thought that may not be the best idea so I said, "Just a phobia onset by something he cant remember." Connie nodded and said, "I see." My phone buzzed twice. Marco had texted me: "Thanks... That helps :)" The next text had a selfie of Marco and Armin smiling attatched to it. "Marco?" Connie asked me. I nodded and smiled, showing him and Sasha the picture. "Cute!" Sasha said. I looked back at the picture, saving it to my phone. "Marco looked pretty red, though." Sasha said. I looked at the picture again and nodded, "Yeah. So?" I said. She rolled her eyes. "What if he's cold?" "Oh no. He's gonna die because it's a couple degrees cold." I said, feigning worry. Connie sighed and said, "You need to at least pretend to worry. You're supposed to care about the well being of the person you like." I sighed, "We arent really like that." I said, "Sure. We comfort one another. But the rest of the time we're like, 'Okay. What do you want me to do about it?'" Connie sighed and said, "Just do it." "He's gonna think it's weird." I responded quickly.

"Do it." Sasha said. I sighed and texted Marco: "Your cheeks are pretty red. Cold?" I then put my phone down. "He's gonna think I'm weird." Connie shrugged. "Remember you gotta ask Marco out." He said. "Not until you fulfill our half of the deal." I responded. He nodded. Sasha was too focused on the menu to really notice us talking. My phone buzzed and I looked at the text from Marco that said: "Yeah. It's gotton a lot colder since this morning... It's kinda weird that you noticed that." "See?!" I yelled. Both Connie and Sasha jumped and I shoved my phone at them. "He thinks I'm weird!" I exclaimed. "He does not!" Sasha said, "He said, 'It's kind of weird that you noticed that.' He didnt say YOU were weird." I groaned and said, "Oh fucking hell. That's right. He didnt say I was weird. He said that something I said was weird. That means I'm not weird." Sasha laughed and said, "Exactly." Connie suddenly grabbed my phone and started tapping away at it. I panicked. "W-What are you doing?!" I exclaimed. Connie didnt answer me. "Connie?!" I grabbed my phone and looked in the messages and Connie had texted him a message that said: ""I hope ur bundling up. And I dont think it's all that weird. Just observing." I glared at Connie, "What. The. Fuck, man?!" He laughed. "Fuck-a yu." I said. I got another text a few minutes later that said, "Thank you for your concern. I'll be sure to bundle up. See you soon? :)" I sighed and texted back, "Yeh. See ya." He definately thought I was weird... Thanks Connie. I sighed. "You need to ask him out." Sasha suddenly said. "Uurrggg..." I replied, "I will soon... Hopefully..." Sasha smiled. She seemed to accept my answer. I sighed, ignoring my food and thinking about how I should probably let Marco know about the food situation in a few weeks if we were still friends by then. But if I didnt, it was no big deal to me.

Lunch ended, thank God, and as Connie, Sasha, and I approached the campus, Sasha spotted Marco walking around to the back of the commons building. "Go! Go! Go!" Connie yelled, pushing me in Marco's direction. "Go, Kirschstein!" Sasha yelled, pushing me as well. I pushed them away, "God!" I exclaimed. I then turned around and started walking towards the commons building. As I approached the front door, Marco came around the corner, carrying a log of wood. I smiled. "Hey!" I said, "Need some help?" He smirked and said, "No." Okay. This dude was a lot stronger than I had initially thought. He blew his hair out of his face and I pushed his hair out of his eyes for him. He smirked. I held the door open for him and he went inside, approached the fireplace, and placed the firewood into the empty space. He then pulled a lighter out of his pocket. Dafuq? I raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why do you need that?" He smirked and said, "For lighting things." Then he lit the wood and the fire started up. Marco sat down in front of it and I came and sat next to him. We smiled at eachother before we fell into a comfortable silence. "Jean?" Marco said after a few minutes. "Yep?" I responded. "What were with those texts asking about if I was cold?" He asked me. I turned red and he looked at me and smiled. "What's wrong with me wondering of you were cold or not? I mean, your cheeks were really red." I said. He bumped my shoulder with his. "I appreciated it. Trust me." He said, "It was just a bit unexpected." I nodded and smiled a bit. "Right." I said.

"Will we get snow?" He asked me. I smiled a bit and said, "Undoubtedly. Yes." He smiled, "Good..." He said. Really? "Why?" I replied and I raised an eyebrow at him. "You cant wear your flip flops." I said. He laughed a bit and said, "True. But I have a nice collection of Uggs." What?! I cracked up and hit his shoulder a bunch of times, "I hate you!" I said. He laughed, too. After we calmed down he said, "N-No. But I'm glad it's going to snow because it snows in Montana. And not in Texas. Where Mattheius is." I nodded and said, "I see." He smiled at me and I smiled back.

"... Marco. Why did you switch schools?" I asked him. He sighed and thought about it before saying, "Well... I finally let go of my sister enough to realize I didnt want to go to Mattheius. So I left. That's all. I always preferred the more tight knit, small art college anyways." I grinned and said, "Yeah. This place is basically the definition of 'tight knit, small art college'." He nodded and grinned back. "Well," I started, "I'm glad you did what you thought was best for yourself." He smiled at me and said, "Thank you."

I smiled back. "I bet your parents are proud." I said. He nodded in response and said, "I bet your parents are, too." I felt my face get a bit hot and he smiled and bumped his shoulder against mine. "You know..." I said. "We got close pretty quick." He seemed to think about this for a few moments before saying, "Yeah... That's okay... I was kind of lonely in highschool and my past couple years at Mattheius..." "You arent lonely now are you?" I asked him. He smiled at me and said, "No..." I felt my face get hotter. Was that a come on? I looked back at the fire.

"Of course," He started, "I've never really fit in before now. It makes sense I'd be lonely." ReLly? Marco? Lonely. I looked at him and said, "Were you an outcast loner in highschool?" He laughed a bit, "Quite the opposite, actually. I was valedictorian at my highschool. I had a ton of friends. I was in ROTC and in my senior year, I was the highest ranked officer. I got to yell at people." He smiled. I laughed. "That's the best part. Wow. Valedictorian." He smirked a bit and said, "It wasnt that big a deal." "Are you kidding me, you idiot?" I disagreed. "That's cool." He smiled a bit and said, "Thanks." "Did you give some awesome speech?" I asked. "It wasnt really all that special." He said. Liar. "What did you do?" I said, grinning. He laughed and said, "I dunno! What did you do?" "What does that even mean?" I exclaimed. He laughed and said, "I dont know!" "Im done with you, Marco. We arent friends anymore." I said. "Noooo!" He said.

"I'm sorry!" He was laughing. I stood to walk away but he grabbed my ankle as I started walking away and I fell, spluttering. He cracked up. "Dude!" I yelled into the carpet. "I didnt think you'd fall on your face!" He exclaimed. I rolled over and yelled, "What did you think was gonna happen?" Marco laughed harder and said, "I dunno!" I sat up and reached for one of Marco's flip flops, pulling it off his foot. He spluttered in confusion. Then I started hitting him. He sheilded his face and laughed.


	12. Ten Steps at a Time CH 7 (Jean)

We stayed in the commons room until around eight thirty when Reiner burst in with Bertholdt and Annie following behind him. "MARCOOO!" Reiner boomed. We both jumped. "You have visitoorrss!" He continued as the three of them plus two walked in. A guy with short blonde hair with a longer piece of hair with beads in it followed. He was wearing flip flops, a tie dyed pair of skinny jeans, and a black undershirt. Plus a rainbow beanie. Really, dude? This must have been Thomas. Behind him followed a short girl with dark hair pulled into pigtails. She had brown boots on and a dark pink dress on with white flowers all over it. She had a purse slung on her shoulder. Marco stood up and, smiling, went over and hugged them both. "Ive missed you guys!" They both laughed and hugged him back.

"Yeah man! Same!" Thomas said. I smirked. "How have you been, Marco?" The girl said. "I've been really well." Marco said. Then he looked at me and gestured for me to come over. So I stood and walked over. I saw Reiner, Annie, and Bert head for the couch and chairs. "This is Jean." Marco introduced me. "Jean. This is Thomas and Mina. My friends from Mattheius." Mina smiled at me and I smiled back. "Hi." She said. "So you're the famous Jean Kirschstein. Whenever Marco and I talk on the phone since this year started, he always brings you up at some point." Marco spluttered and yelled, "What?! Ehhh..." He turned red. I cracked up and so did Thomas. Mina giggled. I could see from Marco's friends how easily influenced he was by their styles. The tie dye and flip flops, plus more conservative clothes like khakis and button up shirts probably came from these two people right here.

"So what's your major, Jean?" Mina asked me. "We don't really have majors here." I responded, "Well. We do. We have to declare it but it doesn't affect your classes. We all do as much work in clay as we do in metal so… Yeah. We get our degree in whatever we declared, though." "Oh!" Mina said, "So have you declared yours' yet?" "Naw." I said, "I was thinking about Graphic Design, though." Thomas looked at Marco and said, "You wanted to come HERE, man? It sounds so disorganized." Hmm... I don't know how I feel about people insulting my college. "It's not. It's just more lenient. Much less intimidating that Mattheius where you're expected to declare something when you're a senior. What if I just like art?" I nodded. Marco was right. Thomas smirked and said, "Four years is enough time to figure out what you want." "But it isn't." I butted in. And they everyone looked at me. "What if you still don't know? You're screwed. Not everybody knows what they want to do. Some people never know." It was quiet then Marco put his hand on my shoulder. I smiled a bit as Thomas said, "I guess." "You ready to go to dinner, Marc?" Mina asked. "Yeah." Marco said, "C'mon, Jean." "Wait." Thomas said, "He coming, too, man?" Oh. Okay. "If you don't want me to come I can hang out here." I said bitterly at Thomas. Mina hit Thomas' shoulder and said, "Tom!" "What?!" Thomas exclaimed. "I just didn't know he was gonna come! Just confirming is all! I thought we were gonna get the 420 crew of our high school back together." Marco gasped a bit. Did Marco smoke pot in high school? I raised an eyebrow at Marco and he gulped and didnt look at me.

I smirked and put my hand on Marco's shoulder, "Man, Freckles. You did everything in high school. Valedictorian, highest rank in ROTC, and pot." He groaned and said, "Jean stop. Pls." I grinned. "Hell yah!" Thomas yelled. "HELL YEAH!" Reiner screamed. "Yeah man!" Thomas yelled, "Whoooo!" "Stop yelling!" Marco exclaimed. So. Just to mess with Marco I screamed at the top of my lungs. Marco punched my shoulder hard and everyone cracked up. Marco then walked out with Mina, his arm around her shoulder. "C'mon. We're the only sane ones." He said to her. I laughed and followed them with Thomas. "Hey. C'mon, guys!" Thomas exclaimed.

We went out into the parking lot and approached a pickup truck that was falling apart. Mina suddenly said, "I'm driving. Marco, you sit in the front with me." Marco groaned and said, "Why did you rent this...?" "It's all we had money for, man. I'm sorry, dude." Thomas said. "Where are we gonna be?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "Guess we get in the pickup bed." Thomas responded. I knew this wasnt gonna end well. "Unless Marco feels like trying to get over his fear now." Thomas proposed, raisig an eyebrow at Marco. Marco sighed. His eyebrows were scrunched together. "I have a motercycle." I piped up. "Thomas and I could follow behind you guys." "No!" Marco said and we all looked at him. "Whatever you wanna do, dude." Thomas said. Marco sighed. "I'm gonna get in the back." Mina looked at him, obviously worried. "Are you sure, Marco?" She said. "Y-Yeah." He said, "I need to start learning how to get over this fear..." He looked at ne. Oh... It's because I said something that he thinks he needs to get over it... Even someone as socially awkward as I an could tell that.

Well, I did want him to get over the fear and I still do. So I didnt try to tell Marco that he didnt have to do it but... "I'll sit back there with you, Marco." I said. That seemed to calm him down a bit. He smiled a bit at me and said, "Alright..." Thomas opened the pickup bed and I climbed in first. Then I turned and grabbed Marco's hands, pulling him into the back, as well. Thomas closed the bed and headed for the passenger seat. Marco sat down, putting his sketchbook down next to him. I made sure to sit next to him. "I'm glad you're trying to get over this fear..." I said, "You're very brave." He smiled at me. Then the truck started moving and Marco almost fell on me. He was starting to panic. I held onto his arm. "Relax..." He took a deep breath. "I didnt expect us to start off so fast..." I nodded and kept my grip on his arm. This would be interesting. And I didnt really mind holding onto him, either. "This car is falling apart..." Marco said. "Shush." I responded, "Don't think about stuff like that..." I really hoped that he wouldnt start legitamately panicking.

It was about halfway through the ride when I realized that Marco was really leaning on me. He had his eyes closed and his head on my shoulder. Whatever he needed to do to remain calm was fine with me, though. "You doing alright?" I said to him softly. "Not really..." Marco responded. "But I'll be alright after we get out of this car..." I smirked a bit. "Obviously." I said, rolling my eyes. "Dont be smart with me." Marco said, "Be somewhat nice to the scared guy, please." I laughed a bit. "Naw." I said, "Thanks for the idea but I'm gonna stick with what I'm doing." Marco punched my leg, using his arm that was free of my grasp. I grinned. "Ow." I said. "That did not hurt." Marco responded. I smiled a bit. I messed with his hair, trying to relax him, for the remainder of the ride.

We got to the restauraunt soon after and Thomas came and opened the pickup bed. He grabbed Marco's hands and helped him down and I jumped down myself. However, I slipped. Marco grabbed my hand and I was almost on the ground when he pulled me up, "You okay?" He said. I nodded and straightened up, "Y-Yeah... Yeah." He smiled a bit and I smiled back. He let go of my hand and we approached the restaraunt. Marco held the door open for all of us. When we all got inside, a waitress led us to a booth and when Marco got in to sit down, I made sure to sit next to him. He smiled at me. Mina and Thomas sat across from us. We ordered our drinks then Mina started, "So, Marco. Can we see some of your sketches from this year?" Marco slid his sketchbook to Thomas and the two of them started flipping through the pages, looking at the drawings intently. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at it. It was a text from... Marco?! I looked at him and his phone was in his lap. He smiled at me and nodded towards my phone. I smirked and looked at the message. It said: "They look at art so intently." I looked at Thomas and Mina's serious expressions before nodding in agreement and sending a text back that said: "Yep. Strange." He smiled a bit: "I used to be like that..." He texted me. I smirked at him. He shrugged, smiling.

Dinner ended soon enough, which I was thankful for. I felt kind of sick. I had eaten way too much today. Marco and I decided we would just walk back to campus. So Thomas and Mina said their goodbyes and went on their way in the pickup. Then Marco and I started walking. "So," Marco started, "How do you like my friends?" "Kinda annoying." I said, "But that makes sense. You fit with them perfectly." He gaped at me then hit my shoulder and laughed, "Asshole!" He said. It was started to get dark and when we were almost back to campus, it started drizzling. "Shit." I said, looking up at the sky. Marco smiled and looked up as well. "Yay!" He said. "Yay?!" I said. He laughed and looked at me. "I dont know!" He exclaimed. "I just like liking everything you hate." Pffft! I laughed. Then it started pouring. "Aahh!" Marco yelled, shoving his sketchbook into his shirt. "My drawings!" He continued. I laughed. "C'mon!" Then I started running, pulling Marco along with me. He screeched and tried to keep up with me. "Jean!" He yelled, "I cant keep up in flip flops, Jean!" But he was laughing. "That's why those shoes are shiiiitttt!"

We approached campus and ran for the dorm building. I attempted to push the pull door and Marco died laughing as he pulled the other door open. I cracked up as well as I stumbled through the door. Marco came in behind me and we were drenched, laughing out asses off. Marco pulled his sketchbook out of his shirt and we both cracked up again when we realized it was drenched, too. "Shhiiittt!" Marco yelled. We both almost fell on the floor laughing. I was almost crying. When we finally calmed down, I decided we should probably try to revive Marco's sketchbook. So I took it from him. "C-C'mon." I said, wiping my eyes. "We gotta save your sketchbook." I pulled off my socks(nope. Never put on any shoes) then we started walking to the staircase. We made our way to my room and when I opened the door, I was glad to find that Eren was out somewhere. We both came in and I closed the door behind us.

I headed for the bathroom and grabbed the hair dryer. I then came back out and put the sketchbook on my desk, opening it to the first page. The pages were wet. So I turned on the hair dryer and started drying the sketchbook, the air turning the pages for me. "Thanks, Jean..." Marco said, coming up next to me and smiling. I half smiled back, "No problem..." "I'm gonna go change." He said. I nodded. Marco left the room and I sighed, turning off the hair dryer. This guy... I got changed, myself. Into differrnt pajama pants. These were sunset colored. It dawned on me out of the blue that I didnt even know what Marco's sexuality was... It might be slightly awkward if I ever do ask him out if he's straight... I chuckled at my own thoughts. Marco was obviously not straight, Jean. I stared at mysefl in the mirror for longer than I should probably have. I felt like I looked like shit. I needed to lose this weight… I had vowed to go jogging or something soon but I hadn't actually had time to do so… I needed to, though. Suddenly, the door opened again as I was finishing putting on my red t-shirt. Marco came in. "O-Oh." He said, turning a bit red, "Sorry." I shrugged. "S'fine." Woah… Hopefully he didn't see that. I headed back to the desk to continue drying the sketchbook when Marco grabbed the hair dryer and said, "I-I'll do it. It's fine." I raised an eyebrow. Why was he so flustered?

I went and sat on my bed. Marco was wearing gray sweat pants, a white undershirt, and he had left his flip flops behind. He started drying his sketchbook and I smiled a bit. He was actually... pretty cute. I almost slapped myself but I settled on an annoyed sigh. How did I go from hating this guy two weeks ago to thinking he's cute? I seemed to have forgotten all my hate and jealousy... Dammit. This guy killed me with kindness. Over the last two weeks he had listened to the problems I was having and he had given me awesome advice and made me feel tons better... I would probably have to tell him about my issues at home at some point... I sighed again. But I dont know if he would get it. I doubt his family ever fought. Plus, I grew up pretty well off so complaining about my rich family might just annoy Marco and make him think I'm a selfish ass. I sighed, yet again. But… I did have to tell him about my weight thing at some point pretty soon. It was now, basically, a must. We were pretty much best friends at this point… ButI was scared to... I decided that I'd just wait until I was ready. Then I heard Marco say, "You alright?" I looked at him and he was facing me, his eyebrows knitted together in worry, "You're sighing a lot." I nodded and smiled a bit, "Yeah. I'm fine." His expression changed to an unworried smile and he pointed the hair dryer at me. I smirked as hot air hit my face.


	13. Ten Steps at a Time CH 8 (Jean)

We were in the middle of drawing a still life. It was October 27th and Halloween was right around the corner. There were Halloween decorations up around school. It was very cold now. It was trying not to snow outside. Though, Marco wanted it to snow so everytime he walked outside in the morning, he would groan at the still grassy ground. Meanwhile, I had started jogging on the weekend mornings. It kind of made me dizzy at some points since I wasn't eating very well and, in hindsight, it wasn't very safe. We were drawing something we had to construct, which was an art project in itself. We had to, basically, construct a small house made of toothpicks, popsicles sticks, and hot glue, then draw it. It took each of us at least a week to make in class, plus extra time outside of class. Marco's was amazing. It was like a little cottage. Mine was alright. I tried to simulate my own home. I don't know how successful I was but it was decent. So. We were just sitting in class drawing this still life. Marco was nearly done and it looked really good. The shading was great and so were the straight lines.

Marco had his still life on a stack of books so he could see it from below. I thought he was a genius for doing that. Everyone was silent as they worked and Marco and I were sharing earbuds, listening to my music. When I decided to do the stupidest thing in the history of stupid things... Marco's still life was pretty precariously perched but it hadnt fallen yet so I decided to shift a bit, bumping the table a bit forwards... Guess what fell? Marco's still life. Plus two textbooks. Marco's still life fell first and broke apart when it hit the floor. Then the books came down on top of it and crushed it.

I gasped when the objects fell. Marco gasped loudly and tried to grab for his cottage but it was already gone. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over. Some people made distressed noises. Pixis looked out from above his desktop computer. Everyone was gaping at Marco's broken still life. Marco looked utterly horrified then he groaned a bit and covered his, now red, face. "Marco..." I started, "I-I am so fucking sorry..." Marco stood up and walked around the table, pulling the books off of his destroyed house. Armin and Reiner also leaped up and helped Marco. I stood and started helping, too. I was such a huge asshole! Why did I have to move?! I saw how precarious is was! It's called physics! When everything was cleaned up and the peices of Marco's still life were back on the table, he went for the cabinet where the hot glue guns are. "Was that your still life, Marco?" Pixis said. "Yep." Marco said, a bit too cheerily. Shit I was in trouble. I felt so fucking awful. He spent so long making it. "Question, Pixis." Marco said as he approached the instructors desk with the hot glue gun. "Yeah?" "Can I remake it?" He asked. "On your own time, you can. Dont you have a picture of it from all sides?" Pixis said. "Yeah but I hate working from pictures." Marco responded. Then, idiot me decided to speak up. "Why?" I said, "You dont have to deal with carrying around the real thing." Marco looked at me, eyes wide, "You're the one who had to move the desk and make it fall in the first place, Jean. I dont need your comments." I sunk down in my seat. He was angry...

"Just work with what you can." Pixis said. Then he patted Marco's shoulder. Marco sighed a bit and put the hot glue gun back before heading back to the table and sighing. "Marco..." I said. "What?" He responded, sitting down. "I'm seriously sorry... I'm so stupid and I feel awful..." I said. Marco sighed and looked at me. "Jean... It's okay... I forgive you. I know it wasnt your fault..." "It was my fault. I'm just glad your forgave me... I'll remake it for you." I offered. "Okay." Marco said, pushing the broken peices closer to me. I smirked at his immediate acceptance. "You have to send me your pictures." I said. So he sent them. Right then and there. I sighed as I got the pictures then stood to get a plastic bag to put the peices into. Then I sat back down. "I'm seriously really sorry and I feel really bad, Marco..." He sighed softly. "I know..." He said, "It's okay..." He smiled at me and rubbed my shoulder. "I just got a little upset is all..." I nodded and offered him a headphone which he took happily, putting it in his ear. I refused to look at Connie or Eren. They would give me some kind of look that meant I was an idiot.

After class, I immediately went to my studio, leaving Marco. So I could work on his still life. I worked for a long time. I really wanted us to be on good terms for the Halloween party. I felt awful for ruining it. And I did my absolute best to re-make it. Marco didnt ask me to dinner today... Which I was actually kind of thankful for. I got it done at around eleven and went to the door between Marco and my studio. I knocked on it and heard Marco say, "Come in." From inside the room. I opened the door and placed Marco's still life on his desk. He was sitting next to the window, drawing the city. He turned and smiled when he saw the cottage. He stood and came over. "Thanks, Jean..." He said. Then he hugged me. "I appreciate it." But this wasnt a friend hug. There was no back patting. He just held me. I hugged him back, taking this oppourtunity to run my hand through his hair. After a few moments, I felt like if this was anyone else, I would start feeling awkward... But it's not awkward with Marco. He let go of me and went to the desk, looking at the still life. "It looks almost identical!" He exclaimed, smiling and looking back at me. "God I could kiss you right now!" He said. My face got extremely hot and Marco's face turned red and he looked down as he realized what he had said. Before I realized what I was saying, I blurted out, "W-Why dont you?" "What?" Marco said, quickly, looking back at me. "W-What?" I stuttered. "What did you say?" He questioned. "Nothing!" Marco raised an eyebrow at me. He clearly didnt believe me but he leg it go then he gulped a bit and stepped closer to me. "Can I ask you something?" He said. I nodded. "What are we gonna do for Halloween?" He grinned.

I grinned, too. Thank God he changed the subject. "I dont know, dude!" I exclaimed, "I've been thinking about it but I dont know!" Marco smiled, "We should do something matchy." I laughed. Dork! "Sure." I agreed. "But you have to come up with it." He groaned, "Fine." I went over to the drawing Marco was doing. "This looks great, Bambi." He didnt answer me and when I looked at him, he was red. "What?" I said. "'Bambi'?" He said, looking at me. "Y'know. Cuz your eyes are big and brown." And because your legs are really long and nice but I wont say that. He turned a bit redder. I smiled. He was reeeaaalllyyy cute... I smirked and turned back to look at his drawing of the city. "Anyways. This looks really good." "Thanks, Jean." He responded. I turned and smiled at him. Then I had a revelation. "Holy shit!" He jumped at my sudden yelling. "What?" "Be Bambi for Halloween!" I exclaimed. He laughed, "What are YOU gonna do?" "Thumper!" I yelled. He laughed harder, "I thought you said I would have to come up with it." He said. "Yeah but I came up with a good idea! C'mon! Let's do it!" "Okay. Okay." He said, laughing. "I'll make the costume designs." He offered. I nodded. "Alright. But I'll help you costruct the costumes." He smiled. "Of course."

"Let's start now!" I said. He laughed. "Fine. Fine! You are ridiculous." Then he sat down at his desk and opened a drawer which had a smaller sketchbook in it. He opened it and flipped through the pages. I noticed that there were drawings of clothing in there. Did Marco do fashion design? "Do you do fashion?" I asked. He smiled at me, "Yep. It's just a hobby." I looked at the fitting mannequin in the corner of the room. Well that explains that. "Sit down." Marco said, smiling at me. I was tempted to just sit down in his lap but I couldnt do tgat so I grabbed the chair that Marco was using to sit in front of the window and pulled it over next to Marco's. I then sat down. "So." Marco started, "I'm gonna draw you first so we can see how the outfit will look..." He then started drawing me and he laughed a bit. "What are you laughing at?" I said. "The idea of this is just making me laugh. It's so ridiculous. I cant believe you came up wih this." I laughed, too. "Shut up!" I said, "I thought it would be funny!" Marco laughed more, "It is! Omigod I'm so glad you arent taking this seriously. I thought you were serious about this." "No!" I said, "I mean I want to seriously make these costumes. But only because it would be funny!" He grinned then asked, "What do you want to do? Is this gonna be like 'girls on Halloween' Mean Girls edition? Or...?" This guy was seriously perfect. I cracked up. "W-What? Like sexy Bambi and Thumper?!" He cracked up, "Yeah!" "Pppffftt! Lets do that!" I exclaimed. He kept laughing.

"Oh my God, Marco. You're seriously the best." I said, laughing still. Marco smiled at me, before turning back to the sketches. We decided, after some arguing, on our outfits and what everything would be made of. I would have pleather grey skin tight pants, a white crop top(I wasn't particularly fond of showing off my body but… Maybe it would give me more confidence), a pair of white knee boots, white gloves with the fingers cut out, plus the make up, ears, and a tail. And Marco would wear brown shorts, a brown tank top with white speckles on it, and brown flip flops. Also, the make up, ears, and a tail. It was so ridiculous that we were both cracking up after we finished the sketches and took a good look at what the Hell we were even doing.

The next day when we went fabric and supply shopping, we were even more giddy. "This is so stupid." Marco said, as he pulled some yards of fabric off for himself. I laughed, "This is so amazing!" I exclaimed. He laughed in response. "You're ridiculous." I grinned. Then the subject if Thanksgiving came up in my mind. I would love to spend Thanksgiving with Marco. I dont want to spend it at my house but in order to spend it at Marco's place, he would have to ask me. So we would just go to my house. "Hey, Marco?" I said as he was looking at zippers. "Hm?" He responded, concentrating. "Do you wanna spend Thanksgiving with me?" He thought for a few moments before looking at me a bit guiltily, "I cant. I have to be home for the holidays." Of course. There was a 50/50 chance he would say no. "Why?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked back at what he was doing, "Because I am an only child now. I am the only one who can come home." "I'm an only child." I said, "I wouldnt mind not going home." I didnt see what the problem was. Marco looked at me, "I just cant." He said, "I'm sorry, Jean."

I nodded a bit and sighed. "Alright." If only he would ask me if I would stay at his house. I doubt it was going to happen, though. Marco and I managed to find everything we needed and we got out of there. Now let me tell you, carryinng fabric and trying to ride a motercycle with someone who panicks when they're even near a moving vehicle is almost impossible. Solution: I made Marco hold everything. When we got back to the studio building, we ran into Levi. "Not doing anything questionable, I hope." He said as we passed him. "No sir!" Marco exclaimed in response as we went into the building. We got to Marco's studio and he unlocked and opened the door. Connie and Sasha squealed and turned to us from Marco's desk. "What are you doing in here?!" Marco exclaimed. "Just-" Sasha said. "-Cleaning your windows!" Connie finished. Then he started smearing his hands on the windows on the other side of the room. Marco sighed and went to put the bags of supplies down. "Stop, Connie." "You ruin everything you touch, man." I added. Connie laughed loudly, walking past Marco and I. I smirkes. "You are sooo funny! Wow! I'm just gonna-" Marco grabbed the back of Connie's collar. "Connie. What were you doing?" "Sasha and I were just organizing your stuff!" Connie exclaimed, turning around. "Right, Sash?" But Sasha was already gone through the door between Marco's studio and her own. "I'll get her later." Marco said matter-of-factly. "You get to help us, Connie." Connie raised his eyebrows at us. I smirked. Marco could be agressive if he wanted to be. He knew how to be a leader.

Marco let go of Connie's shirt and waved him over to the desk as he pulled out his sketchbook with the drawings of our costumes in it. I laughed, "Are you gonna show him?" Marco laughed as well as Connie made his way over to Marco, looking slightly confused. Marco showed Connie the drawings and when Connie worked out what it was, he burst into laughter. I cracked up and so did Marco. "Omigod!" Connie exclaimed, "You guys have to let me in on this!" "Noooo!" Marco exclaimed, "We just went supply shopping." "Okay!" Connie said, "Just tell me what I need to get for my costume and I'll buy it myself!" Marco groaned. "What would you even be, dude?" I said.

"I want to be that skunk guy. Flower!" Connie said. Marco and I burst into laughter. Connie grinned proudly. "Oh my Godddd!" I yelled, "Marco he has to be on board!" Marco sighed, grinning. "... Fine. But you have to help me make it. I refuse to be forced to do all the manual labor in this plan." I grinned. Connie nodded. "Okay, goober." Marco said to Connie, "Come here so we can sketch your costume." Connie walked over to stand next to Marco to watch what he was doing as Marco took a seat and started discussing the costume with Connie.


	14. Ten Steps at a Time CH 8 (Marco)

The near end of October hit me like a brick. It was the 27th and I realized that I didnt have a plan for a costume. I had, though, been invited to Ymir's costume party. And, apparently, Jean only got to come because he would undoubtedly show up with me. Anyways. We were drawing a still life. We had to make a little house our of sticks and glue then we had to draw it with prismacolor pencils. It wasnt very advanced and it wasnt difficult but... I mean, I didnt mind doing it. I was nearly done, I thought. I felt that I was getting closer to the end of this project. I wanted to get an angle that wasnt just head on, so I put my Mattheius textbooks to use and used them to hold my still life up so I could see it from below. It was actually a pretty interesting angle that I would have to use again. I was adding some shading to a bottom corner when I saw Jean shifting his position out of the corner of my eye. His knee made harsh contact with the desk and before I knew it, I saw my still life starting to slip. I gasped and grabbed for it but it had already fallen, the books crashing down on top of it. Everyone stopped what they were doong and looked over, making noises of surprise. I felt my face get hot. How freaking embarassing. I covered my face and groaned. Why...? Jean why...? "Marco..." I heard Jean say, "I-I am so fucking sorry..." I didnt want to hear it. If I tried to respond to him, I knew I would just start yellinng and that wouldnt give me a very good image. Jean was obviously sorry. I stood up and walked around the table, pulling the textbooks off of my disfigured still life. Suddenly, Reiner and Armin showed up next to me and w ere gathering the peices with me. These people were so nice... Jean stood and started helping, too. Uughh. This thing took me a week and a half to make. In and out of class. I sighed and set everythig on the table with the help of the people around me. As everyone went back to their seats, I went to grab a glue gun from the cabinet. " your still life, Marco?" I heard Pixis say. I was still really angry but I had to answer the teacher. "Yep." I said, as I walked over to Pixis sitting at his desk, "Question, Pixis." I said. "Yeah?" "Can I remake it?" I asked. "On your own time, you can. Dont you have a picture of it from all sides?" Pixis said. Uggh. Workingg from pictures doesnt help my technique improve... "Yeah but I hate working from pictures." I responded. Why?" Jean suddenly said, "You dont have to deal with carrying around the real thing." Oh shut up. I looked at him, eyes wide, "You're the one who had to move the desk and make it fall in the first place, Jean. I dont need your comments." He visably sunk down in his seat. He needed to be quiet. I didnt want to yell at him.

"Just work with what you can." Pixis said. Then he patted my shoulder. I sighed a bit and put the hot glue gun back before heading back to the table. I knew Pixis wasnt gonna help me. "Marco..." Jean said. "What?" I responded, sitting down. "I'm seriously sorry... I'm so stupid and I feel awful..." He said. I sighed and studied his face. He looked like he felt really bad. "Jean... It's okay... I forgive you. I know it wasnt your fault..." I said. "It was my fault. I'm just glad you forgave me... I'll remake it for you." He responded quickly. Sure. "Okay." I said, pushing the broken peices closer to him. He smirked and said, "You have to send me your pictures." Fine. I sent them. Right then and there. He stood as he got the pictures then to get a plastic bag to put the peices into. Then he sat back down. "I'm seriously really sorry and I feel really bad, Marco..." He sais. I sighed softly. "I know... It's okay..." I smiled at him reassuringly and rubbed his shoulder. "I just got a little upset is all..." He nodded and held a headphone out to me which I took contently, putting it in my ear. I continued on my peice, glancing up at Connie who was trying not to laugh and at Eren who was just glaring in Jean's direction.

When class ended, Jean left immediately. I figured he was going to start on fixing my still life. I headed to the studio building after gathering my things and putting my peice away in my cubby space. As I was setting my bag down in my studio, my eyes caught the city out of the window. I was really lucky to get this studio space. I didnt really deserve it. I stepped over to the window and smiled. The city was really very interesting looking. It was definately not Montana. I started thinking that my parents might really want to see the city. So I pulled a chair over to the window and set up an easel. Grabbing a canvas and putting it on the easel, I decided that I would sketch then paint the city for my parents. So I sat down and started sketching. It was a long time before I came back to reality when I heard a knock on the door between Jean and my studios. Hopefully this was important. "Come in." I responded. Jean swung open the door and placed my still life on my desk. Holy crap! It looks identical! I smiled the made my way over to the desk. "Thanks, Jean..." This is hug-worthy, right? I'm gonna say yes. So I hugged him. "I appreciate it." If you rhink I could manage a friend hug with this man, you're wrong. I couldnt resist just holding him. He hugged me back. He hugged me back, playing with my hair. Thank god he did, too. Because I was terrified that he might push me away after a bit. But... He didnt. I let go of him after a few moments and went to the desk to look at the still life. It really did look amazing, "It looks almost identical!" I said, smiling and looking back at Jean. "God I could kiss you right now!" I suddenly realized what I said and my face got extremely hot and Jean's face turned red as he stared wide-eyed at me. I looked down. Crap. "W-Why dont you?" Wait. What?! Did he say that?! "What?" I said, looking back up at him. "W-What?" He spluttered out. "What did you say?" I questioned. I had to know. "Nothing!" I raised an eyebrow at me. I was t buying it. But... I didnt want to press it too hard. So I let it go, gulping a bit and takin. A step closer to Jean. "Can I ask you something?" I said. He nodded. I decided to change the subject. "What are we gonna do for Halloween?" I grinned.

He grinned, too. "I dont know, dude!" He exclaimed, "I've been thinking about it but I dont know!" I smiled, "We should do something matchy." He laughed. I knew I was a dork. "Sure." He agreed. "But you have to come up with it." Darn. I groaned, "Fine." Jean noticed the drawing of the city I was doing. "This looks great, Bambi." What?! I felt my face get hot. Bambi? Jean turned back to me as I stared at the floor. "What?" He said. "'Bambi'?" I responded, looking at him. "Y'know. Cuz your eyes are big and brown." I felt my face get hotter. Jean smirked and turned back to look at the drawing. "Anyways. This looks really good." He said. "Thanks, Jean." He turned back and smiled at me. Then Jean's eyes suddenly widened. "Holy shit!" He yelled. I jumped in genuine heart attack mode. "What?!" "Be Bambi for Halloween!" He exclaimed. Pfftt! I laughed, "What are YOU gonna do?" "Thumper!" He yelled. I laughed harder, "I thought you said I would have to come up with it." I said. "Yeah but I came up with a good idea! C'mon! Let's do it!" "Okay. Okay." I was still laughing. This could be good for me. I hadnt designed or constructed any outfits or clothing since the summer. "I'll make the costume designs." I offered. Jean nodded. "Alright. But I'll help you costruct the costumes." I smiled. "Of course."

"Let's start now!" He said. I laughed. "Fine. Fine! You are ridiculous." I went qnd sat down at my desk, pulling my design sketchbook out of one of the drawers. I opened it and flipped through the pages. Man it brought back some memories... "Do you do fashion?" Jean asked. I smiled at him, "Yep. It's just a hobby. Sit down." I said, smiling at him. Jean grabbed the chair that I was using to sit in front of the window and pulled it over next to me, sitting down. "So." I started, "I'm gonna draw you first so we can see how the outfit will look..." I started drawing Jean when it hit me just hor dumb this was. I laughed a bit. "What are you laughing at?" He said. "The idea of this is just making me laugh. It's so ridiculous. I cant believe you came up wih this." Jean laughed, too. "Shut up!" He said, "I thought it would be funny!" I laughed more, "It is! Omigod I'm so glad you arent taking this seriously. I thought you were serious about this." "No!" Jean exclaimed, "I mean I want to seriously make these costumes. But only because it would be funny!" I grinned then asked, "What do you want to do? Is this gonna be like 'girls on Halloween' Mean Girls edition? Or...?" Jean stared at me a few moments then he cracked up. "W-What? Like sexy Bambi and Thumper?!" "Yeah!" "Pppffftt! Lets do that!" Jean exclaimed. This was going to be hilarious!

"Oh my God, Marco. You're seriously the best." Jean said, laughing still. I smiled at him, feeling my face become hot, before turning back to the sketches. We decided, after some arguing, on our outfits and what everything would be made of. Jean would have pleather grey skin tigt pants, a white crop top, a pair of white kneeboots, white gloves with the fingers cut out, plus the make up, ears, and a tail. And I would wear brown shorts, a brown tank top with white speckles on it, and brown flip flops. Also, the make up, ears, and a tail. It was so ridiculous that we were both cracking up after we finished the sketches and took a look at what we were doing.

We went fabric and supply shopping the next day. "This is so stupid." I said, as I pulled some yards of fabric off for myself. Jean laughed, "This is so amazing!" He exclaimed. I laughed, as well. "You're ridiculous." Jean grinned. It was a bit hard to call Jean sweet anymore considering he had broken apart my still life yesterday. And whether he put it back together doesnt change the fact. But I had already forgiven him. "Hey, Marco?" I heard Jean say as I was looking at zippers. "Hm?" I responded. "Do you wanna spend Thanksgiving with me?" That would be interesting but... My parents needed me at home. I looked at Jean a bit guiltily, "I cant. I have to be home for the holidays." "Why?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Right. I looked back at what I was doing, "Because I am an only child now. I am the only one who can come home." "I'm an only child." Jean said, "I wouldnt mind not going home." Jean stop being stubborn. I looked at him. "I just cant." I said, "I'm sorry, Jean."

I nodded a bit and sighed. "Alright." If only he would ask me if I would stay at his house. I doubt it was going to happen, though. Marco and I managed to find everything we needed and we got out of there. Now let me tell you, carryinng fabric and trying to ride a motercycle with someone who panicks when they're even near a moving vehicle is almost impossible. Solution: I made Marco hold everything. When we got back to the studio building, we ran into Levi. "Not doing anything questionable, I hope." He said as we passed him. "No sir!" Marco exclaimed in response as we went into the building. We got to Marco's studio and he unlocked and opened the door. Connie and Sasha squealed and turned to us from Marco's desk. "What are you doing in here?!" Marco exclaimed. "Just-" Sasha said. "-Cleaning your windows!" Connie finished. Then he started smearing his hands on the windows on the other side of the room. Marco sighed and went to put the bags of supplies down. "Stop, Connie." "You ruin everything you touch, man." I added. Connie laughed loudly, walking past Marco and I. I smirkes. "You are sooo funny! Wow! I'm just gonna-" Marco grabbed the back of Connie's collar. "Connie. What were you doing?" "Sasha and I were just organizing your stuff!" Connie exclaimed, turning around. "Right, Sash?" But Sasha was already gone through the door between Marco's studio and her own. "I'll get her later." Marco said matter-of-factly. "You get to help us, Connie." Connie raised his eyebrows at us. I smirked. Marco could be agressive if he wanted to be. He knew how to be a leader.

Marco let go of Connie's shirt and waved him over to the desk as he pulled out his sketchbook with the drawings of our costumes in it. I laughed, "Are you gonna show him?" Marco laughed as well as Connie made his way over to Marco, looking slightly confused. Marco showed Connie the drawings and when Connie worked out what it was, he burst into laughter. I cracked up and so did Marco. "Omigod!" Connie exclaimed, "You guys have to let me in on this!" "Noooo!" Marco exclaimed, "We just went supply shopping." "Okay!" Connie said, "Just tell me what I need to get for my costume and I'll buy it myself!" Marco groaned. "What would you even be, dude?" I said.

"I want to be that skunk guy. Flower!" Connie said. Marco and I burst into laughter. Connie grinned proudly. "Oh my Godddd!" I yelled, "Marco he has to be on board!" Marco sighed, grinning. "... Fine. But you have to help me make it. I refuse to be forced to do all the manual labor in this plan." I grinned. Connie nodded. "Okay, goober." Marco said to Connie, "Come here so we can sketch your costume." Connie walked over to stand next to Marco to watch what he was doing as Marco took a seat and started discussing the costume with Connie.


	15. Ten Steps at a Time CH 9 (Jean)

The costume making progress was somewhat hectic. There was a lot of laughing and an emergency room visit when Connie accidentally drove a needle into his thumb from using the sewing machine. But we got done right in time for the party and it was hilarious when we tried them on. Connie had a wig that he was going to wear which was a black mullet with a white stripe down the center of it. He also had a black slightly too short t-shirt and black leather pants. Plus black boots, a tail, ears, and a flower crown. It was ridiculous and stupid but hilarious, too. We tried to get Sasha in on it but she thought we were idiots. I came to find out soon that Marco was really good at stage make-up and I was really bad at remembering that I had on stage make-up when my eye itched. I had noticed this scar that Marco had on his chest that stretched from his collarbone and stopped around at his stomach. I figured it was from the Jamie situation and didn't ask about it.

On the night of the Halloween party, we almost died laughing when we saw what we looked like in our costumes. It was utterly ridiculous. Marco had an even harder time doing our make up because we kept laughing. Watching Marco do Connie's make-up really made me think that I needed to branch off into different forms of art like he had done. I found myself gaining back that jealousy I had had for him weeks ago. "You're really good at make-up, Marco." I said. He smiled a bit. "Thanks Jean. Do you like the make-up I did for you?" Marco had made my face and pretty much the rest of my exposed skin completely grey with white streaks everywhere meant to simulate fur. I also had pink in some places including my nose. I had whiskers and the signature horizontal 3 bunny mouth. Marco hadn't done his own make-up yet but he was finishing up Connie. Connie had streaks of black everywhere to simulate fur. Plus a streak of white in visible places. Connie couldn't help laughing every now and then and when he would, Marco would stop doing the make-up and just stare at him until he stopped laughing. Through this experience, I had realized that Marco could really be a leader. If he had the opportunity to take the reigns, he would. And he would hold them tight. He knew exactly where to steer the plan, too.

When Connie's make-up was done, he went to look at it and cracked up as soon as he saw himself. Marco smiled in response then started on his own make-up. Someone knocked on the studio door and Connie went and opened the door. Sasha bounced in, literally, wearing a potato sack. Both Sasha and Connie started dying of laughter when they saw each other. Marco smiled and glanced at them before returning to his make-up. I smirked. How were Connie and Sasha not dating yet? I went over to Marco. "You're seriously good at this make-up thing, Marco." Marco smiled and said, "Thanks, Jean." "Where did you learn how to do this?" He sighed and looked at me, pausing his make-up doing. He then went to his desk and came back with his cell phone. I was about to ask him what he was doing when he showed me a picture on his phone. I burst out laughing when I realized what it was. It was a picture of a very young Marco. He was helping some girl with her make-up. She was clearly going to be in a play or show of some sort. Marco looked so younge. Braces and side bangs. "I did it in middle school." He said, grinning. "Oh my God." I said. I laughed loudly at the idea of Marco being in a play, "Wow. You're _cool_." Marco laughed, too, "I'm the coolest of the cool." Connie and Sasha came over. "What is it?" Sasha said. "Nothing." Marco responded, locking his phone and putting it in his pocket. I was still laughing. "Apparently, Marco's really funny to Jean!" Connie said. "Yeah, Connie! It seems that way!" Sasha added, "Maybe they should get closer!" Then she shoved me really hard right into Marco. I yelped out an "Ow!" When I bashed straight into Marco and he made a disgruntled sound and stumbled but grabbed my arms so as to steady me. I looked at him and he was red. He didn't look at me. I felt my face turn hot and I pulled away from him, whipping around to face Sasha, "W-What the Hell, Sasha?!" I yelled. "Oh come on!" Connie exclaimed. "You always ask Sash and I why we arent dating. Why aren't YOU two dating?!" "Because I don't like him like that! As much as you would love to beleive it!" "But you said-" Sasha started. "Well I lied!" I have a slight temper. Im also extremely stubborn so when someone tells me to do something, I usually do the exact opposite. That's why I said this. I soon found out that disagreeing with Connie and Sasha on this just because I was stubborn, was an extremely stupid.

Sasha and Connie both looked at Marco and I didn't get to see his face when I turned around because he had already turned back to the mirror to continue his make-up. I punched Connie and he yelped. "Dude!" I sighed and kept my distance from Marco for the rest of the time he was putting on his make-up. I knew I must have upset him but it was Connie and Sasha's fault.

When Marco finished his make-up, I commended him on his work and he gave me a sincere smile. Which made me think he was okay... I was wrong, though. We went on our way to Ymir's house. Yep. She lived off campus. And when Connie knocked on the door, Christa answered it. She smiled when she saw us. She was dressed as an angel, obviously, and she complimented our costumes. When Ymir, who was dressed as a drill sergeant, saw us, she bursted out laughing, "What the Hell is this, guys?! Mean Girls?!" We all laughed at that. I didn't really focus on this party. I was really excited before about it but I felt pretty bad for potentially making Marco upset which stressed me out. So, Marco could probably say more about it than I can, which proved to be true later on. All I know is that I was sober for about ten minutes then I was gone and woke up the next day in my own bed, confused as Hell and clean of most make-up. I sat up. Thank God it was Saturday. "Urg..." I groaned as I felt the pain of a hangover come over me. I always had the worst hangovers because I never ate when I was drinking. I was still in my clothes from the night before but most of the make-up was gone. I was so confused. What happened? Somebody must have brought me back. Connie? Or Marco? Whatever. I sat up and stretched slightly, my back cracking. I had to get up, no matter how bad I felt. I had planned to finish some work today. I shuffled painfully down the hall to the community shower. I peeled off my costume and left it hanging up as I stepped into the shower. I felt terrible, not only physically, but it dawned on me how much I could have hurt Marco's feelings. I ran a hand through my hair, sighing, as I washed off the remainder of the make-up left on me. I actually really did like him... A lot. But what could I say now to prove it? Either way, I couldn't say anything until Connie said something to Sasha. I sighed and banged my head on the wall once, which was followed by an, "Ow..." And a rubbing of my forehead. I finished up my shower and grabbed my towel, drying my hair and wrapping the towel around my waist. God my head hurt. I made sure to weigh myself, sighing softly at the numbers… I was way too exhausted and hungover to go jogging this morning. I made way back to my room where I got dressed into skinny blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and my black hoodie with the Pink Floyd symbol on the back of it. I didnt want to deal with contacts so I shoved my glasses on my face, pulled on my black converse and put my blue beanie on. Funny how I think I'll look terrible when I have a hangover unless I try really hard to look put together. I always do it. Even though I know that everyone knows why I'm trying so hard to look put together. So they all know I'm hungover. I stepped outside and the ground was covered in a white layer of snow. I groaned and slapped my forehead. Fuckin annoying snow... I decided to just eat in the cafeteria. Maybe the terrible, strong as hell coffee would help my hangover.

I made my way through the snow and I realized that maybe I should have worn a bigger jacket, boots, gloves, and dried my hair all the way. I sighed in relief as I stepped into the cafeteria, shivering a bit. I noticed a group of people sitting in the cafeteria. Not unusual. I couldn't make out who it was until I got a bit closer. My glasses were shit and needed to be upped in the prescription. I noticed Marco. Marco?! Why? He said he didn't like eating cafeteria food. He was sitting with Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. I noticed over in one of the lines, Connie, Sasha, Ymir, and Christa. "Speak of the Devil! There he is! The man of the hour!" Reiner boomed at me. Ow... Wait...Did I hear him right? I glanced behind me then turned back to everyone. "Me..?" I said, my voice hurting when I spoke and sounding like it, too. "Yep!" Reiner continued booming. He sounded so loud. "Stoopp yelling." I said. "Oh yeah. He's hungover! My bad man!" Reiner yelled at me. Shit! I covered my ears, "What the Hell is your problem...?!" I exclaimed. "Oh nothing! I just like being annoying." Reiner said, grinning me. My brain processed, finally, that Marco was here... Why is Marco here? "What is going on...?" I said. "I dunno, man!" Eren suddenly yelled at me, glaring at me. "We all saw what you did." "What did I do...? I don't remember anything I did yesterday..." "Oh give him a break." Connie said, walking over. "We all saw what what you did, too, Eren." "W-what?!" Eren exclaimed, "What did I do?" "Dude." Reiner said to me, "You had to be babysat by Marco the whole time. You tried to jump off the building." What?! Pfft! I laughed a bit. "Man... Sorry, dude." I said to Marco. He laughed a bit, "It's fine." "Scoot." I said, pushing my way into the seat next to Marco. He smirked and scooted over. "... What's up with you?" I asked him. He smiled a bit at me, "Nothing. Just a bit tired is all." Yeah. He looked really tired. "Yeah?" I said. "Yeah." He responded, smiling a bit more at me. "Why are you in here? I thought you said you didnt want the food in here." "Im not eating." He answered. I sighed, "Fine." I said, "Whatever." "Having some maritial issues?" Ymir said as she pushed me to get into the seat next to me. I smirked. "Shut up." Marco suddenly slammed his hands on the table, then he stood. Everyone looked at him. "I gotta go get some work done." He said, stepping out of the seat. "Oh. Okay, man." I said to him, "I'll come by your studio later, kay?" He nodded and smiled at me for a moment before he walked away from the table.

I sighed and turned back to everyone. "So." Connie started, "About what you said yesterday." "Which part? I dont remember anything from the party." I responded. "No. Before the party. When you said you lied about liking Marco." "What?!" Reiner boomed, "You said that?! Do you think this is a game, SON?!" I smirked. Sasha laughed at Reiner's response. "Did you really mean that?" Connie asked me. There it is. I sighed... "No." I said, "I just got defensive and stubborn... And I wanted to go against what you guys were accusing of me. Im not ready to ask him out." "You like Marco?" Ymir said. I nodded and looked at her. "Even with the sister thing?" Wait... How did she know? "How do you know about that?" "I was asking Pixis about Marco so I could see who else I was up against and he told me." Stupid Pixis. He was always disclosing personal information. I sighed. "What sister thing?" Bertholdt asked. Great. "His sister was doing some dumb shit as she was driving and she crashed and died." Ymir said. "Hey!" I yelled, "Shut up! That's not even what happened! Some dumbshit ran a red light! Her car literally was in the air before rolling back onto the road and killing her! Marco is lucky to be alive!" I felt anger bubbling in my stomach. "Fine." Ymir said. "Sorry I asked..." Beetholdt said. "But what if when you ask him out, lets say he says yes. What if his entire family is obsessed with his sister and they have shrines everywhere and she's all they talk about?" I stood, "Shut UP!" "Calm down, horseface!" Eren exclaimed. "Shut up, Jaeger!" I yelled at him. "Do you want to fight?" Ymir said to me. "Jean. Dont. Just let it go." Armin said. "Fuck you, Armin!" Armin put his hands up in defense. I knew I needed to calm down but I couldnt. Marco didnt deserve this shit! He was too nice of a person. I swung at Ymir but she caught my fist, flipping me onto the floor. "That's enough!" Christa exclaimed, holding onto Ymir's arm. Ymir managed to get a punch in as I stood up. Right on the eye. I would have a shiner later on. That also busted my glasses and I caught then, shoving them into my pocket. That pissed me off even more. I felt dizzy I was so angry. I managed to get in a punch as well before Reiner picked me up, pulling me away. "Stop!" Reiner boomed at us. "This is ridiculous!" Then he dragged me out of the cafeteria. I didnt know where he was taking me so I just flailed. "Let go!" I yelled. "Nope." He said as we went into the studio building. He wasn't taking me to Marco, was he? Because Marco was not having my shit right now. I basically yelled that I didn't want to date Marco ever yesterday afternoon. Plus, Marco was tired as hell. Reiner knocked on Marco's studio door. I groaned. That's what I get for being an asshat and fighting. Marco opened the door, his eyes widening when he saw the out of context Reiner holding me. "Guess who got into a fight?" Reiner said. Marco sighed. "I cant leave you alone for ten minutes. Can I?" "It's... Actually been seven minutes..." I responded. Marco just stared at me. Reiner put me down. Marco sighed again, pulling me into the studio. "Thank you, Reiner." Reiner nodded before leaving the studio building. Marco closed the door then turned to me, "What were you thinking?" "I was thinking that I wasnt gonna let Ymir disrespect your sister like she was." Marco processed what I had said then he turned a bit red, "You were throwing punches to defend my sister?" "And you and the rest of your family, actually." Marco smiled a bit for a few seconds before he shook his head, his smile disappearing. "Well, I can take care of myself. And you're going to have a pretty bad shiner." "Yeah. Probably. The punch didn't help my hangover. My glasses busted." Marco sighed. "You're reckless."

He headed back over to the chair next to the window and sat down. I walked over to him and looked at his drawing of the city that he was now painting. It looked really good... "That looks great, Marco." I said, rubbing the underneath of my now swollen eye. "Thanks." He responded, looking at me. "... You should get that taken care of." "Can you take care of it for me?" He sighed a bit, "No. But I'm sure the nurse can." He turned back around. "Duddee." I said, "Hanji's crazy. Why do you think I'm perfectly fine with you taking care of my battle wounds?" "You fight Eren. Those arent battle wounds. They're reckless wounds." I smirked. "Just help me!" "No, Jean. You're a grown man." I sighed. Why wasn't he going to help me? ... Maybe it had to do with what I said yesterday... But that wasn't really my fault, was it? Connie and Sasha basically forced me to say it! I didn't have anything to apologize for. They needed to apologize. "All i can do is scold you a little, Jean. But I came here to work on something I need to finish. So no matter how stubborn you are, my answer will not change. Go take care of it yourself." I sighed and gave in. "Fine. Whatever." I then walked out and closed to door behind me.

Hanji was Hanji as she took care of dressing my eye up and making sure it was alright. And the visit lasted an hour and thirty minutes due to her rambling about squirrels the ENTIRE time. I almost wished my eye would get infected and I'd die so I wouldnt have to listen to her anymore. When I finally got outta there, it was two pm. So I headed for my studio and worked on a peice until it was done at around eleven thirty. I realized when I was done, that Marco hadnt asked me to go to dinner. I felt bad for some reason but I was too tired to care and I just went to my dorm room and fell asleep. Maybe things would be better tomorrow.

My thoughts failed me. It didnt get better. It got a lot worse. The only good thing that happened was that my eye wasnt swollen the next day. All I had was a bruise under my eye. Hanji was annoying but she knew how to treat a wound. I was determined to talk to Marco and try to get us to start talking normally again. He obviously wasnt having any of my shit and even if he was smiling at me, he had something sitting behind his eyes that I didnt like. So he was clearly upset with what I said. I just needed him to forget about it. I pulled on black skinny jeans, a green t-shirt, my leather jacket, and my black boots. I grabbed my phone and wallet and headed to Marco's dorm room. I knocked and Armin opened the door. "Hey." I said. Armin put a finger over his mouth. "Hi, Jean." Armin whispered. Dont tell me Marco was asleep. "Is he sleeping?" Armin nodded. I groaned a bit, "But... No. It's like noon." "I know. He's tired." Armin responded. "But..." "You seem needy." Armin said, smiling a bit. "Lemme wake him up." "No. Jean. He'll be really mad. And he's exhausted. You'll just have to wait." I sighed. "Pease." "No, Jean. Sorry." "I will yell at him if you dont let me wake him up nicely." Armin stared at me and opened his mouth to say something but I interrupted whatever it was to yell behind Armin, "WAKE UP, MATTHEIUS!" Armin spluttered but before he could do anything, Marco woke up. He yawned and stretched before sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "He's going to kill you, Jean." "No he wont. We're bros." Armin then turned to Marco and said, "You have a visitor. Should I let him in?" "Is it Jean?" Marco mumbled. "How did you guess?" Marco groaned a bit and flopped back down, rolling over. "Nooo..." He said. "That's a yes!" I exclaimed, pushing in past Armin and going to Marco's bed. "Get uup! We're going to eat breakfast." "I am leaving before this get's bad." Armin decided, stepping out and closing the door behind him. "Jean..." Marco said, "Literally, I'm not going to eat breakfast with you. I'm too tired..." "As opposed to not literally." I said. "Either way I'm not going, Jean." Marco mumbled. "I know you dont mean that." I said. Marco sat up, then. This is where I start fearing for my life. Marco literally stood up, lifted me up, and placed me down right outside in the hallway. Why was it so easy for people to pick me up?! "Dude!" I yelled, after getting over the initial shock. "Dude, what?!" Marco yelled back. Terrifying. Now I know not to get Marco pissed. "I said I wasnt going and I meant it, Jean! I am fucking exhausted from dragging you around during that Halloween party! I didnt even get remotely drunk and I thought it would be easier that way! But no! You're an idiot when you're drunk and I had to babysit you!" I stared at him, shocked, for a few moments. Then I got pissed. "Dude!" I exclaimed, "You didnt have to fucking babysit me! You made that decision! Excuse me for getting drunk!" "You would have jumped off the building otherwise, Jean!" "Why are you so pissed off?!" "Because you said something extremely rude to me right before the party-! No. Wait. You always say and do rude things to me!" What the Hell was he even talking about. "Name one time!" "The time before the party! When you asked if I could go to your house for Thanksgiving and I said no because my family is in a tough situation! And you broke my still life!" "Dude! I remade your fucking still life, got a black eye for your family, And that thing I said was Connie and Sasha's fault!" "No it wasnt!" He was extremely pissed off at me. "And just because you fixed my still life doesnt mean you didnt cause it to break apart!" Was he being fucking serious?! "Dude! What?!" Marco and I glared at eachother for a few more moments before he said, "Jean. Leave me alone. I'm not going to breakfast with you." Then he went back into his dorm and slammed the door behind him. I didnt sleep well that night. Or any night soon after.


	16. Ten Steps at a Time CH 10 (Jean)

Marco was genuinely ignoring me. Sitting with Jaegar and his posse. I felt kicked to the curb. But I guess it made sense. And I could return to my regular eating habits, at least. I did really miss the guy, though. Sitting with Sasha and Connie was alright but... After meeting Marco, no one was really going to fill that spot of closest friend except him. I sighed. I was on my way to my next class. I had to take a different way than Marco because we usually walked the same way to get to the class and that would be awkward. I walked with Connie and Sasha on their route. "You should be happy, Jean! The way that Marco goes is the long way!" Sasha tried to comfort me. "Can we stop talking about Marco?" I asked. "Sure! When you apologize." Connie said. I groaned. "Leave me alone. I have nothing to apologize for." Connie punched my shoulder. "Yes you do you idiot! You pissed him off! Marco never gets angry so you mustve done something really wrong." I sighed... He was right goddammit. "I know... What do I apologize for?" "Everything you did wrong?" Sasha exclaimed. I groaned, "All of it?" "Yes!" Connie yelled. "Have you ever apologized to anyone before?" "I think once." I said. "No wonder you have no friends!" Sasha yelled at me. I frowned. "The nicest person on Earth is tired of you!" "What?" I asked. "Marco!" She clarified. I smirked, "He is not the nicest person on Earth." Connie and Sasha gaped at me. "... What? Am I missing something?" I asked. Then Connie and Sasha started punching my shoulders simultaneously. "What the-?!" I pushed them both off. Then Connie started, "He is literally the nicest person on the planet!" "How? He got all pissy at me!" Connie fake laughed, "I swear I'm goinng to kill you, Jean!" "Can I be a part of this?" Eren said, coming up next to Connie. "Go away, Jaegar!" "What are we talking about?" Mikasa said, coming up next to Eren. Mikasa's hair was looking particulatly beautiful today. I used to have a thing for her and I was gonna go for it when school started but... Marco happened. "Jean doesnt think Marco is the nicest guy on the planet because he 'got all pissy' when Jean did something wrong. But Jean doesnt even know what he did wrong!" "What?" Eren asked, "Dude, Marco is literally the nicest guy on the planet!" "He has dealt with all of your problems the moment he met you. And everyone in our class goes to him with their problems because he's a good listener and he gives good advice." Mikasa added. I groaned. "Look. I dont give a shit! Can I just rant in peace?! See? This is me! Not giving any fucks!" Then I flung the door open to the building where my next class was and went in, extremely pissed. Man that was loud. I hoped nobody who'd tell Marco heard it. Plus it made me a little dizzy.

The next day, I woke up pretty early. I found myself at the scale again in the shower area. I was here nearly every day now… I weighed myself a ton. This time, I felt even more terrible than before… I almost didn't leave the room… I forced myself to, though, after crying in a ball on the floor for at least thirty minutes… The day was just as annoying. Connie and Sasha wouldnt shut up about me needing to apologize to Marco. Even when we got to our class. Hanji was, for some reason, teaching it. I was trying to figure out why Hanji and Levi, who was sitting in a chair next to the teacher's desk, were in here and where our teacher, Gunther, was as I ignored Connie and Sasha yelling at me. "Okay class!" Hanji exclaimed and we all shut up and sat down. "Your regular teacher, Gunther, is on leave for six weeks due to an injury. So I will be filling in for him during that time!" Well that makes sense. "Now. Onto your projects!" She continued. "We will continue the projects you were already doing. So dont worry. And he left the plans for the rest of the semester here." Then she started listing off the rest of our projects for the semester. After that, she started explaining how we would make each and she went off on a ton of tangents until Levi pulled her back to the original subject. This went on for a while. I looked around for Marco but couldnt see him. Why wasnt he here? He was never late.

Suddenly the door opened and everyone looked and Hanji stopped talking, looking over, just as Marco was coming in, looking extremely embarassed. There he was. He looked so confused at why Hanji was there. I smirked at his confused state. He was cute... Ugh. I was so screwed without him. "Why are you so late?" Levi said. I-uhhh..." He stuttered. I smirked a bit more, "I got held up." He finished. Then he started towards the desks. Hanji grabbed his backpack and pulled him over to her. He looked a bit scared. I could only smirk. "Why dont you tell the class what you were doing?! Might be interesting!" I saw Levi pinched the bridge of his nose at that. Suddenly, Marco caught my eye. He made a slightly offended expression. "Well go on!" Hanji continued. Marco tore his eyes from mine then smiled at Hanji. "I was talking to this senior who found out I was from Mattheius from his friends and he wanted to talk to me. That's all." What?! I frowned as Hanji let him go and he walking over to the desk next to Armin. "Well that's interesting! What was his name?!" She asked as he sat down, "Gerald. I dont know his last name." "Ooooohhh!" Hanji said, wiggling an eyebrow. He laughed. Gerald? Oh fuck no. This was not happening. Gerald was a weirdo I knew before college. I sighed. I had apologize to him right now so I could protect him from weirdos. Marco was talking to Armin, Mikasa, and Eren when I psyched myself up to go and apologize. "Who's that guy?" Was the first thing I asked. He just looked at me. I raised an eyebrow when he said nothing. Then Eren started. "Get outta here, horseface! Marco doesnt want to talk to you!" He exclaimed. "Shut up, Jeager! Nobody's talking to you!" "Stoppit." Marco said, interuppting. "Look, Jean. I dont think it's very neccessary to let you know who he was." I looked at him and he raised his eyebrows. "Oh c'mon, Marco. You know we're friends." I said. "Maybe when you fix your attitude." Ouch. I narrowed his eyebrows. That actually really stung. "Ohhh!" Eren exclaimed. "OOHHHHHHH SHIIAATT!" Reiner yelled from across the room. Eren needed to pipe the fuck down. "Shut up, Jeager! This is not your problem!" Eren stood up, then, his chair falling and slamming down behind him. I went for Eren's face with my fist, grabbing onto his shirt. Then I felt someone grab my arm and pull me back harshly. "Stop!" Marco yelled at me. I looked at him and everyone in the room was staring at Marco or me. It was quiet then he let my arm go. I could have smiled, knowing hat he still cared... But I knew it was still all messed up. I sighed. "Marco." I needed to apologize right now, "Can we talk, like, in private?" He stared at me for a long moment, contemplating. Then I realized that his hairwas messed up a bit and I disnt think as I fixed he hair. He smacked my hand away, frowning, before turning back to his project and saying, "Maybe some other time. I need to do this project." Dammit Marco. I would apologize to him soon. I huffed. "Fine." I said coldly, glaring at him. I went back to Connie and Sasha.

The next few days were torturously long. There was only one day left until Thanksgiving Break and I was literally dying. I probably looked like shit because that's how I felt. I tried to hide it, though, because that was embarassing if somebody found out how upset I was over this Marco thing. We had to start this project that we were expected to work on over the break. Connie and Sasha were talking to me about Marco, which I was tuning out, when Connie said something that spiked my interest. "Do you ever want to have a romantic relationship with this guy?" I looked at him. "Yes." I said, matter-of-factly. "You better step it up and apologize to him then." Connie said. I frowned. "Step what up?" "Your social skills." Sasha said, "You need to understand what Marco is going through and you need to try to figure things out about his life at home and in his life before college. His dreams and aspirations. Everything, Jean." I sighed. They were right. "Okay... You're right. I'll apologize today and make sure he understands that I'm gonna try to understand what he's going through." Connie and Sasha both nodded once before we all returned to our projects. I looked up at Marco sitting across the room and we locked eyes. Hm. Seems he was already looking at me. I smirked as he looked away. Somebody knocked on the classroom door then came in. I looked over and it was Gerald?! I made a face then looked at Marco. Marco looked just as confused. Gerald went over to Pixis and said, "I need to see Marco Bodt." Huh?! "Oh." Pixis said, "Okay. Marco." I looked at Marco and he looked at Armin, who just shrugged. He stood, putting his work down, grabbing his phone(if I was sitting next to him. He would have grabbed his phone and said something to me like, "Got to take this just in case I have to call 911."), then heading over to Gerald and Pixis. "He needs to see you." Pixis said, waving them off. Then Marco and Gerald left. I sighed. What the Hell... I was close to the other door that was across the room which led out to the hallway so I scooted my rolling chair over to it, opening it a bit. Connie and Sasha looked horrified and everyone looked at me. But I didnt care. I frowned as I listened to Gerald and Marco. I heard Marco say, "... have to get this project started for Thanksgiving break." "Can you talk to me over lunch?" Gerald asked. What. The. Fuck. I narrowed my eyebrows. Bitch no! Get the fuck off my man! "I'll text you an answer in a few minutes, okay?" Marco said, kindly. Good. Be skeptical, Marco. "Sure." Gerald said, "You're so ridiculous. Coming and interuppting my class so you could ask me out to lunch" Marco said. "You're worth it." Gerald said. Blleeechh! I was gonna vomit. "Jean get away from there!" Armin whisper-yelled. I closed the door and whisper-yelled a "Help me!" Back. Armin made a confused face. "He asked him out!" I practically yelled. Armin raised his eyebrows in understanding just as Marco came back in. I went back to my project. But I felt like Armin wasnt gonna do anything... I was screwed. Marco would be taken and that would be it... I sighed, grumbling to myself as I pressed my pen down too hard on my project and Connie and Sasha looked on in fear for their lives if they even said anything.

When class ended, I went to the studio building and as I was unlocking my studio, I noticed Marco walking to the second floor of the studio building. Dammit. That was where Gerald's studio was... And he said that he would text Gerald his answer. He probably said yes and now he was going to get him for lunch. I slammed my head on my door just as Armin came over. "Jean." He said. "Hm...?" I responded, leaving my head on the door. "Marco said that he wasnt going to go out with Gerald. So-" What? Armin helped me? Oh my God! I turned around to Armin in shock! "-you need to start acting on your feelings for him. He's going to get more admirers and he'll be gone sooner or later." "Thank you, Armin!" He smiled. "No problem." I ruffled his hair then went into my studio. Armin headed to his own and I set my stuff down then I went to the door and opened it a bit to wait for Marco to pass by. I saw Marco come down the stairs then when he got close to my door, I grabbed him and pulled him in. He stumbled but I just slammed the door, blocking it with my body. "What-Jean-why?!" He said, I turned to him. "We gotta talk about that guy." He blinked owlishly at me before narrowing his eyebrows and asking, "Were you spying on me? Jean seriously I'm not-" "Shh!" I shushed him. If I was going to apologize and convince him that Gerald was wird, I had to make him listen to me. He didnt like that. He crossed his arms and frowned. "Marco. That senior's a weirdo." I started. "Really? Because he said you were a weirdo." I raised an eyebrow. Oh Hell naw. "You're a weirdo." I said. "You're a weirdo! Now let me out!" He exclaimed. I slammed my back against the door in order to block it. He just smirked. "You know I can pick you up right?" Oh shit. Right... "Not today!" I exclaimed, "I put on three pounds, muthafucka." I tried distract him. He laughed. It worked. "Stop!" He exclaimed. "Let me out!" "Dude. That guy's weird." I said again, "Trust me. He doesnt have any friends." "I doubt that." He said, "I'm serious!" I exclaimed, "We went to the same highschool together and we were pretty okay friends. Then he started being weird and I kind of slowly backed away. And he still doesnt have any friends." "Jean." Marco said, "I've had two real friends in my life. I know how that feels. Now let me out." "Fine do whatever you want but dont come crawling to me when you get stabbed in your Bodt butt." We were quiet before I said, "Did you say yes...?" I looked down. "No." Marco said, "I didnt." I sighed in relief. Thank God. We were quiet again. Then Marco asked, "That's not all you want to talk about, is it?" I sighed a bit. "No." I said. Marco shifted a bit. "Dude." I started... Damn this was gonna be hard, "I'm sorry. For making you drag my ass around all the time when I'm a complete asshat. I just dont even have any social skills. But that's no excuse. I'm gonna try harder to learn how to get all this stuff you're going through." I looked at him, feeling like it wasnt enough. He smiled, though. "Yaay! I forgive you!" Then he suddenly picked me up into a bear hug. Holt shit! I struggled and made a disgruntled sound. "Duuuuuddeee!" He finally put him down after a few long moments. This idiot... I smiled and brushed myself off. Suddenly, Marco kissed his cheek. My face got hot and I was extremely shocked. "I-I'm sorry, Jean!" He exclaed. "I didnt mean to-! I mean-! I just got caught up in-!" "It's fine!" I exclaimed, interuppting him, "Marco. It's fine." I smiled, "It's fine." I sighed. "So..." I started, "Do you want to go get lunch?" He smiled. "Yes."

Thanksgiving Break happened. And this time, I had someone else interesting to talk to(Marco)besides having to talk to Connie and Sasha. Or anyone from Eren's posse. Considering all of our families live in New York. Sure, we just communicated by texting and calling and selfies but that was fine with me. More interesting than my family who didnt really care about me. My mother was the only one who really cared at all and she spent everyday with me during the break which was great and I missed her... So... Marco was really my only form of human interaction outside of my childhood friends and my mother. And we tried to talk once a day, at least. But we sent random texts and pictures to each other, too. However, over the break, my mother finally noticed how I was eating and she confronted me about it one evening. "Jean. Have you been feeling okay?" She had asked me, her round face scrunched in concern. "W-Why?" "I don't know. You just… Look a little sickly." I had broken down then. Explaining to her that I was so stressed out about my weight and food and everything. I was actually reduced to tears. Lame, right? We had a talk and… I admitted that I did have a problem. That's first, right? I went to at least four types of doctors. and of course they diagnosed me with an eating disorder. An early case, meaning not as severe. But any stage is severe. It doesn't matter if it was in an early stage. I was told to stop jogging. And then my mother set me up with these doctors in Pennsylvania that the ones in NY had recommended. I had a calorie plan and everything now… It would be harder to keep it on the downlow now… Especially since Marco and I would be in the same dorm now. I wanted to keep this from Marco because I didn't want him to worry about me and I just didn't think that it was a necessary thing to tell him, yet. All my friends thought I should, though. I hadn't actually let Marco know that I switched our rooms yet but he's find out. I let everyone who had grown up with me in highschool know about my new eating plans and Armin gave me this lecture about telling Marco then Connie gave me the same lecture except adding to it, "If you want to date him he has to know." I would let him know eventually even though I didn't really want to. On the day and around the time that Marco said he was coming back, I went to the airport to pick him up in my new shiny black car. I named it Nick. Dont tell anyone. I had arrived the previous day on my own. The car was something that I had requested my parents get me a week or two before Thanksgiving Break and I was expecting it as a Christmas present but they gave it to me the day I got home for Thanksgiving so... I dont know what logic that was. Anyways. I walked into the airport and found a place to sit. So I flopped down and played Bejewled while I waited for him. Getting texts every now and then from Connie or Sasha in a group chat that would ask if I had seen Marco yet which I would respond to with a no every time. Then I noticed movement in front of me. I looked up and Marco was there. I smiled. "Hey!" I exclaimed, standing. "Hey." Marco said, smiling back then asking, "What are you doing here?" "I thought I'd pick you up from the airport." I said. I really had missed this guy... I noticed a tattoo on Marco's wrist whichh must have been new. It was red around it so it had to be healing. It was Marco's last name, Bodt, in bold letters and a blue bird underneath, spreading its wings. "I missed you." I said. Marco turned red. "I-... Really?" He asked me. I smirked. "What? You didnt miss me?" I asked. "No it's not that!" He exclaimed, laughing a bit and rubbing his nose. Cute. "I just..." He said, "Wasnt expecting that... I missed you, too." Thank God. I looked down a bit, half-smiling, and shoved my hands into my pockets. Suddenly, Marco stepped closer to me and pulled me into a tight hug. Oh my God... I slowly wrapped his arms around him, hugging him back. He smelled good... Like gingerbread and clean laundry. I heard him sighed softly. I could feel his heart beating and I reached my hand up to stroke his hair gently. We stood there for a few moments before Marco pulled away. I smiled at him and he smiled back. "C'mon." I said, grabbing his suitcase and heading for the door. Marco followed, asking, "Jean. How are we going to get a suitcase on a motercycle?" "Oh! Right!" I exclaimed, "I got a car over the break." "Wait... You did? Why? Thanksgiving isnt meant for gifts." "I know. But I figures it'd be better for me to have a car so I asked my parents for one a few weeks ago and they gave it to me this past week. I was expecting it to happen at Christmas so it was a shock but, hey, whatever works." He was probably so done with my family being wealthy. We approached my car. I opened the trunk and put his suitcase in, closing it after. I looked at him. "... Well go on and get in." Marco looked terrified as he got into the passenger seat, closing the door behind him. I got into the driver's seat, putting my seatbelt on and closing my door. Marco put his own seatbelt on as I backed up out of the parking space, resting my arm on the back of Marco's seat. I heard him take a shaky breath and I glances at him. He looked pretty scared. When we were out of he parking space and I turned back to put both hands on the wheel, I ruffled his hair. Then I drove us back to Coirtney.

I tried to conversation with him the whole ride so he wouldnt be so scared. "Did you start on that project?" I asked. "Yeah. It's in my suitcase." He answered. "How far did you get?" "About halfway done, I would say." The fuck? "How do you do this shit so quickly?" He laughed a bit. "Because I actually work on it." I smirked. Bitch. "I work on it too!" I exclaimed, "You must have Bodt bots or something. Clones." He laughed harder. "Bodt bots! You should patent that!" He exclaimed. I laughed. When we reached Coirtney, I parked and pulled the keys out of the ignition, stuffing them into my pocket then getting out of the car. I stepped out, as well. I walked around and opened the trunk, pulling Marco's suitcase out, setting it on the floor, then closing the trunk and locking the car. Marco grabbed his suitcase and the two of us headed to the dorm building. Then I decided to tell him about what I did. "Hey." I started, " I did something you may or may not approve of." "Whaat...?" He said, raising an eyebrow. "I requested a room change over the break. And... Then I requested another room change, under your name." What?! "Jean!" He exclaimed. "What?! Why?" "Dude! We have the same dorm together now! Be happy!" I exclaimed, grinning. Marco just pinched the bridge of his nose. "I dont think I can handle you for that long. You do something ridiculous every two seconds." What!? I laughed. "Hey! I thought we were friends, Marco!" "What's the room number?" He asked, "Do you have my key?" "Yeah!" I exclaimed, handing him the key. "It's room 135 on the same floor as before. And you'll have to give your old room key to Armin." "Right." He said, putting the key into his pocket then shaking his head. I laughed. "I swear..." Marco said as he picked up his suitcase and carried it up the stairs to the floor that our new room was on.

I helped Marco unpack and when he went to give Armin his old dorm key, I might have snooped a bit more through his things. Just because I was a jerk. When he came back, we went to the lobby of the dorm building. And Annie was carrying a big ass tree into the building with Reiner and Bertholdt's help. Annie nearly hit Marco with the tree, not seeing him. I frowned when she did that. Bitch. As Marco dodged it, he fell onto the floor, making a disgruntled sound in the process. "Oh sorry, Marco." Annie said. "I-It's fine." He responded, standing. "You alright?" I asked him. He nodded. "That's a big ass tree!" Ymir yelled from the couch in the lobby where she was with Christa, Sasha, and Connie. Exactly, bitch. "Hell yeah it is!" Reiner yelled back. "Okay." Annie said as they got to where they wanted the tree to be. "How are we going to put this thing down?" The three of them did some yoga shit to get themselves so Bertholdt, who was at the end, was standing next to the spot they wanted to put the tree. Bert and Reiner started to position their parts of the tree down into the spot but Annie couldnt push the top up. Shorty. "Let me help." Marco suddenly said, heading over and replacing Annie with himself. This guy was too nice. He pushed the top of the tree up as best as he could, but he couldnt get it. I was going to volunteer to help when Bert said, "Marco. Let's switch jobs." As they switched and let go of the tree, however, Reiner almost died, yelling, "FUCK! TREE! ORGANS! CRUSHHEDD!" I couldnt help laughing a bit as Reiner recovered when Marco and Bert grabbed their new parts of the tree. "God you guys! Do you want me to die?" Marco laughed a bit and exclaimed, "Im so sorry, Reiner!" Then they started successfully placing the tree down in it's spot. When it was done, Annie said, "Thanks, Marco." "No problem." He responded, smiling at her.

Mikasa suddenly came in with Eren, carrying a ton of Christmas decorations. Oh fuck off Eren. "Found them!" Eren exclaimed. "Good for you, Jeager." I said. "Shut up! Oh. Marco's back!" Eren and Mikasa came over and put the decorations down. Mikasa hugged Marco and he hugged her back. I didnt like it. I grinded my teeth together. Then she pulled away. "Do I get a hug?" Jaegar said, holding his arms out to Marco. Oh fuck no. Marco laughed. "Su-" "No!" I exclaimed sliding in to stand in front of him and glaring at Eren. Marco laughed a bit and put his hands on my shoulders, saying to Eren, "Sorry, Eren. I guess you dont get a hug." Eren smirked. "Fine. Whatever." I felt Marco poke me. "Dont be such a jerk. He just wanted a hug. He's my friend." I ignored that statement. "Trust exercise-GO!" I exclaimed, falling back. Marco grabbed me, letting out an, "Eep!" And a, "Dont do that! I was legitimately afraid that I'd let you drop." "But you wouldnt." I said, grinning. He sighed. "Help us decorate!" Eren yelled to Armin who was coming down the stairs. "Fine. Fine." Armin responded. Marco, much to my dissapointment, let me go. "Did you have sugar before you left for the airport?" Marco asked me, "No." I said, turning to him and smiling. "I'm just excited to see you." Marco turned red. Sasha and Connie suddenly showed up next to us. "Are you guys dating yet?" Connie asked. My face got very hot and Marco turned a deep red. "I-uh..." Marco managed. "I'm gonna help decorate the tree." Then he went over to Armin, Eren, and Mikasa. Lucky bastard got away from the awkwardness. Christa and Ymir were on their way over to the decorations, too.

Finally, Bertholdt got the star on top of it with some help from Reiner. It looked alright. I saw Marco head for couch and flop down into it. Good time to attempt to ask him out. I came over after a few moments, smiling at him and sitting next to him. He smiled back. "So..." I said. "Yeah?" He asked. "About what Connie and Sasha said..." "Y-Yeah?" I rubbed the back of my neck and my face got hot. Dammit this was hard... "I just..." I started, "Well... I wanted to... Urg." I sighed in frustration and looked at him. "Marco... Would you... Could we... Maybe go ou-" Eren suddenly flopped down on top of us really hard. "AHH!" Marco yelled. "OOOF!" I yelled. "Hey guys." Jaegar said. "What're you two up to? Not doing anything that would be too good for horseface, yeah?" Oh this mother fucker! I pushed Eren off of me with a "Get the fuck off, Jaegar!" And when he hit his head on the coffee table as he went down, I snickered a bit until Marco stood and exclaimed, "Eren!" Marco helped him up and I groaned and stood as well. "Jean. Cant you be nicer?" Marco said, "Nobody has to get hurt." Was he being serious? "Yeah horseface!" Eren exclaimed. "Can I not just have a private moment wih you, Marco?!" I yelled. Then it got really quiet in the lobby and I realized that everyone was staring at us. Mikasa ran over and grabbed Eren, pulling him away. "What do you need to talk to Marco privately about, Jean?" Ymir questioned. My face got hotter and I tried to come up with sometring to say when Marco suddenly said, "Just..." I looked at him, "Nothing, guys. Okay?" Everyone seemed to calm down and go back to what they were doing. I sighed with relief. "Thanks..." I said to him. "Of course..." He responded. "Now." Marco said, "What did you want to say to me?" Now that I thought about it, Connie hadnt asked Sasha out yet so I shouldnt be trying to ask Marco out. "Bah... Forget it. It's not important." He sighed. "Okay..." But if Marco asked me out, that was okay. "Did you have something to say?" I asked him. "No." He said. "Marco!" Armin yelled for him and he yelled. "Polo!" back, walking over. Dork.


	17. Ten Steps at a Time CH 10 (Marco)

I didnt want to hear it from Jean, to be honest. I was so done with him not thinking that he had to apologize when he did something that wasnt alright. He was so sweet before these chaacter flaws came out of him. But I genuinely couldnt get over him... I refused to let Jean off the hook for this, though. He would just have to apologize. So. I sat on the other side of the room during class and didnt speak to him outside of class. When Jean wasnt involved in my life, I attracted weirdos. Just like back at Mattheius and in highschool. I dont know why being seen with Jean kept the weirdos away but it did. And now they were back. There was this guy I had noticed who stood leaning against a wall on the route I usually took to class. Didnt know him. He was about my height, maybe an inch shorter. He had a strong jawline, and his bright blue-green eyes hidden behind glasses contrasted with his slightly tanned skin. He had short platinum blonde hair. I didnt know him at all. I was walking to my next class with Bertholdt and Armin. "How is the Jean thing?" Armin said to me as we approached the side of he building where the guy usually stood. I sighed. "It's the same. I'm waiting for him to apologize." "That might be a lost cause.." Bert said. I laughed a bit, "I know. But if he wants to have a good relationship with me again, he has to do it. Hopefully Connie and Sasha will press him to do it. They know what Jean has to do if he wants to be my friend again." We got closer to the wall and, sure enough, the guy was there. We almost passed him just as usual when he said, "Hi, Marco." I tensed a bit. What the heck? Armin and Bert looked at the guy and we kept walking. I looked at him, as well. "Um, hi." I said as we passed by him. I turned back to face forwards and we were silent for a few moments. "Do you know that guy?" Armin asked me. "No! No I dont!" Armin made this face that showed his horror. I laughed a bit nervously. "I mean. I've seen him before but I dont know his name." "Maybe he has a thing for you?" Armin questioned. "I dont know." I answered. "But that's pretty weird." "You should ask him his name next time he talks to you." Bert said. I nodded. "Yeah. I will. I mean. It's strange but I'm all for meeting new people." As we approached the building, I saw Jean coming the other way with Connie, Sasha, Eren, and Mikasa. Bertholdt and Armin stopped, pulling me to a halt. And we watched the five of them a ways away but still in hearing distance. As they got closer, I heard Connie say, "...Jean did something wrong. But Jean doesnt even know what he did wrong!" "What?" Eren asked, "Dude, Marco is literally the nicest guy on the planet!" "He has dealt with all of your problems the moment he met you. And everyone in our class goes to him with their problems because he's a good listener and he gives good advice." Mikasa said. I was embarassed. I felt my face get hot. Then I heard Jean groan and yell, "Look! I dont give a shit! Can I just rant in peace?! See? This is me! Not giving any fucks!" Then he flung the door to the building where our next class was open and stomped in. Classic Jean. Armin and Bert looked at me. That stung but... I wouldnt let him know that I heard this. He meant it to be between him and the people around him. Not an evesdropping Marco. So I just kept on walking to our next class.

The day after the next, I had to walk to class alone because I was a little bit late. And as I approached the wall, I saw that the guy was, indeed, there. "Hi, Marco." He said as I approached. I stopped and turned to him. "Hi. Um. Do I know you? I'm sorry if I dont remember." He smirked. "Sorry. I'm Gerald." He said, holding his hand out to me. Weird. I shook his hand. "How do you know me?" I asked him. "I just seen you every day walking this way and I wanted to know who you were so I asked around and I found out from my classmates that you were thag Mattheius guy that the school had been gloating about getting." That made sense. Not that creepy. "I see." I said. "Yeah. I didnt talk to you before because that guy, Jean, was always walking with you." I raised an eyebrow. He didnt want to talk to me because of Jean? Did Jean look threatening or something? Because I didnt see it. "Really?" I questioned, "Jean?" "Yeah." Gerald responded, "That guy's weird. He's always cat calling chicks and I saw him give a senior last year a black eye. The dude had to have been a whole foot taller, too." I seriously doubted that happened. This guy was definitely over-exaggerating. And I dont think Jean would cat call anyone. But then again, he did seem to let out new qualities almost every day. Maybe it was possible? This guy... He had to have been in a different grade because he was never in any of my classes. "Are you a sophomore or...?" "Naw. I'm a senior." He said. Oh! Oh... "Oh wow." I said. "Okay." "C'mon. I'll walk you to your class." He said, stepping away from the wall. I sighed a bit. "Okay." Then we started walking in the direction of my next class. "So, why did you transfer here? Mattheius is amazing." "I just felt like I didnt belong there. My family isnt very well off and everyone there wasnt exactly humble. And they made me feel like my work was less than good." Gerald nodded in understanding. "I get it. I came from Burries School of Graphic Design in Missouri. Felt the same way." What? He's relating to my story? Well, one part of my story? Burries is a really nice school. "Really?" I said. "Yeah. Of course." "I applied for Burries." I mentioned. "Didja get accepted?" "Yes. I did." "Wow." He said, smiling at me, "You must be really amazing." I smiled. "Well thank you." We approached the building where my class was. "Would you mind if I got your number?" Gerald said, holding his phone out to me. "Sure!" I smiled and took his phone, tapping my name and number in then takingg a selfie on his phone for the profile picture. "Great! I didnt expect you to take that selfie, though." He said as he took his phone back. "I always do that." I smiled and he smiled back. "Bye, Marco." "Bye." Then he went on his way. I sighed a bit and headed to my class. I was really late.

I sighed as I opened the door to the classroom. Hanji stopped what she was saying abruptly to look at me. Wait... Hanji? Why was the nurse teaching our pottery class? I was so confused. "Why are you so late?" Levi said from the chair next tothe teacher's desk, looking over at me. Why was Levi here, too? "I-uhhh..." I struggled to find my words, "I got held up." I started to head towards where Armin was sitting when Hanji grabbed my backpack and pulled me over to her. "Why dont you tell the class what you were doing?! Might be interesting!" I saw Levi pinch the bridge of his nose out of the corner of my eye. Darn. I didnt really want to explain. I caught Jean's eye from across the room. And the little... The little fart was smirking at me. "Well go on!" Hanji continued. I couldnt disobey someone of authority. I smiled at her. "I was talking to this senior who found out I was from Mattheius from his friends and he wanted to talk to me. That's all." Hanji let me go and I started walking over to my spot next to Armin. "Well that's interesting! What was his name?!" I smiled a bit as I sat down, "Gerald. I dont know his last name." "Ooooohhh!" Hanji said, wiggling an eyebrow. Pfftt! I laughed. So, apparently, our teacher Gunther had taken a six week leave due to an injury and we had to have another teacher. And the fill-in was Hanji. When Hanji finally stopped talking, we worked on the projects we were already doing. "So that guy talked to you?" Armin said to me. I nodded. "What guy?" Eren said, looking over, past Mikasa who he was sitting next to. Mikasa looked at me as well. I opened my mouth to explain when Jean came over. "Who's that guy?" He asked me. I just looked at him. He raised an eyebrow after me not saying anything for a few moments. "Get outta here, horseface! Marco doesnt want to talk to you!" Eren exclaimed. "Shut up, Jeager! Nobody's talking to you!" "Stoppit." I said. "Look, Jean. I dont think it's very neccessary to let you know who he was." Jean looked at me and I raised my eyebrows. "Oh c'mon, Marco. You know we're friends." Was he serious. "Maybe when you fix your attitude." I said. Jean narrowed his eyebrows at that. That was mean... I shouldnt have said that... "Ohhh!" Eren exclaimed. "OOHHHHHHH SHIIAATT!" Reiner yelled from across the room. "Shut up, Jeager! This is not your problem!" Jean yelled. Eren stood up, then, his chair falling and slamming down behind him. Oh crap. Jean went for Eren's face with his fist and before I knew it, I had grabbed Jean's arm and pulled him back. "Stop!" I exclaimed. Everyone looked at me, including Jean. It was quiet then I let go of Jean's arm. He sighed. "Marco." He said, "Can we talk, like, in private." I really really wanted to say yes but I didnt want to hear Jean give me a best friend speech and if I agreed, I would basically be-suddenly, Jean touched my hair, fixing it. But I smacked his hand away and narrowed my eyebrows at him, frowning and saying, "Maybe some other time. I need to do this project." Meanwhile, Mikasa was picking up Eren's chair and sitting him down in it. Jean huffed. "Fine." He said coldly before almost stomping back to Connie and Sasha.

The next few days flew by until there was one day left before Thanksgiving break. And Jean still hadnt tried to apologize. I would wait, though. We were in the middle of Pixis class. He had finished his instruction for the day. Now we were working on getting ready a project he had given us to start over the break. I sighed as I worked, sitting with Armin. I looked over at where Jean was and Connie and Sasha were talking to him. He was frowning. I hoped they were pushing him to apologize to me. Suddenly, Jean caught my eye and I looked back at what I was doing. Awkward. Somebody knocked on the classroom door then came in. I looked up to see who it was. Gerald. What? He nodded at me then headed over to Pixis and said, "I need to see Marco Bodt." What? "Oh." Pixis said, "Okay. Marco." I looked at Armin and he looked at me, shrugging. I stood, putting my work on a desk and grabbing my phone, then heading over to Gerald and Pixis. "He needs to see you." Pixis said, waving us off. I smirked and Gerald led me out. As soon as the door was closed I said, "What is this, Gerald? I have to work." He smiled at me. "I wanted to talk to you." I smirked. "I cant talk right now. I have to get this project started for Thanksgiving break." "Can you talk to me over lunch?" He asked, raising an eyebrow... Did this guy ask me out or...? ... I needed to consult my team. "I'll text you an answer in a few minutes, okay?" I smiled. He nodded, smiling wider, "Sure." "You're so ridiculous. Coming and interuppting my class so you could ask me out to lunch" "You're worth it." He said. I felt my face get a bit hot. Okay. This guy definately just asked me out. "Whatever." I said as I opened the door to the classroom. "Bye, Gerald." "See ya." He said. I went back into the room and he door swung shut behind me. I headed back over to Armin and sat, starting to work on my piece again. "Who was that?" Armin whispered to me. "Gerald." I said. Mikasa looked over, "That was that guy?" She said. "Yeah. I need your help." Eeen started paying attention when I said that. The I started. "So. He just asked me out to lunch. Like... Out." Armin frowndd a bit, "Did you say yes?" "I said I'd text him in a bit and give him and answer. I had to ask you guys what you thought I should do." "Do it!" Eren exclaimed. Mikasa hushed him and we all glanced at Jean to try and make sure he didnt hear, he was looking so he probably heard that yell, before we continued talking. "Dude." Eren whispered, "Do it. Jean deserves it." I smirked. "Eren, I'm not going to date someone just to make someone else upset." "Do you even like him?" Armin asked me. "Maybe? A bit." I said. "I would." Mikasa said, "Because what if Jean never fixes this?" I sighed... "I wouldnt." Armin said. I looked at him. He looked really serious about this. "Marco. Are you really going to be that guy? I mean, Jean obviously has a thing for you. You're just hitting a rough patch. Once it's fixed up, you could potentially start something together." I sighed. He was right. "Okay... You're right... I'll tell him in person later on after class." Armin nodded. When the end of class rolled around, I grabbed my stuff and headed to the studio building, putting my things away in there. I then headed up the stairs to the second floor where Gerald's studio was located. His was 107 so I headed down the hall and knocked on the door. I felt slightly awkward but I had to do this in person. Gerald opened the door and smiled immediately, "Hey!" "Hey." I said. "Listen. About lunch..." "Yep?" He asked. "I... Cant go out with you... Im sorry but I'm in the middle of a conflict with a close friend and I just cant handle this right now." Gerald stopped smiling and it was silent for a few moments before he said, "I understand." I smiled softly, "Thanks. Still friends?" "Yeah!" He exclaimed.

Well I was pretty happy that was over. As I passed Jean's studio to get back to my own, the door suddenly opened and Jean yanked me in. I stumbled and almost fell as I was pulled in. Jean slammed the door. "What-Jean-why?!" Jean turned to me. "We gotta talk about that guy." I had to process what he said. "Were you spying on me? Jean seriously I'm not-" "Shh!" He shushed me. I crossed my arms and frowned. "Marco. That senior's a weirdo." "Really? Because he said you were a weirdo." Jean raised an eyebrow. "You're a weirdo." "You're a weirdo! Now let me out!" Jean slammed his back against the door in order to block it. I smirked. "You know I can pock you up right?" "Not today! I put on three pounds, muthafucka." I laughed. "Stop! Let me out!" "Dude. That guy's weird. Trust me. He doesnt have any friends." "I doubt that." "I'm serious! We went to the same highschool together and we were pretty olayfriends. Then he started being weird and I kind of slowly backed away. And he still doesnt have any friends." "Jean." I said, "I've had two real friends in my life. I know how that feels. Now let me out." "Fine do whatever you want but dont come crawling to me when you get stabbed in your Bodt butt." We were quiet before I said, "That's not all you want to talk about, is it?" He sighed a bit. "No." I planted my feet on the ground in a more comfortable manner to get ready for this. "Dude." He said, "I'm sorry. For making you drag my ass around all the time when I'm a complete asshat. I just dont even have any social skills. But that's no excuse. I'm gonna try harder to learn how to get all this stuff you're going through." I smiled. "Yaay! I forgive you!" Then I picked him up into a bear hug. He struggled and made a disgruntled sound. "Duuuuuddeee!" I literally wanted to kiss him. I didnt think that would be appropriate, though. So I just put him down after a few moments. Jean sounded disgruntled but he was smiling when I put him down and he brushed himself off. I couldnt resist so I leaned down and kissed his cheek. Regret immediately. He turned very pink and looked shocked. "I-I'm sorry, Jean! I didnt mean to-! I mean-! I just got caught up in-!" "It's fine!" Jean interuppted me. "Marco. It's fine." He smiled a bit. "It's fine." Oh God so awkward. I was an idiot. He sighed a bit. "So... Do you want to go get lunch?" I smiled. "Yes."

Thanksgiving Break wasnt very different than any other. I went home, my parents and I spent a lot of time together, and I came back to Coirtney at the end of the break. However, I texted Jean a lot throughout the break and he was keen on telling me everything that he was doing. The way it sounded, his parents werent very interested in what he was doing and they didnt spend much time with him. Even on Thanksgiving. And I had gotton a couple tattoos. I had a small one of my right wrist that said my last name, Bodt, in bold letters with a blue bird underneath it, spreading it's wings. It wasn't huge. It just covered my wrist right under my palm. That' s all you need for something like that, right? Also, if I ever got married and my last name changed, it wouldnt matter because the family I came from would still be Bodt. I didn't want the one on my foot but Thomas had given it to me against my will. It was on my ankle and it was a small black and white dandelion with the seeds blowing away. I liked it because the center of each of the seeds that were blowing away, was a freckle of mine. I thought it was nice how Thomas incorporated that. Also, my mom and dad were trying to teach me how to drive. We went out to practice once a day from when I got home to me driving to the airport and tehy were telling me to enroll in a driving school for the summer in Montana. So I was planning on doing that. It would be a course where I would learn all the rules of the road and get my permit. Then I would do a 32 hour thing in a span of 6 months and go and take my driving test. The first day I drove was traumatixing. And we almost died. By the last day, I was starting to get ever so slightly better and I could go on the highways. Which I was not happy about because I was horrified anytime I got near our car. They told me to keep practicing but there was no way I was doing that. I wasn't even going to tell Jean because he would have made me do it somehow. When I got off the plane into Pennsylvania, where Coirtney is, and grabbed my bag from luggage claim, I saw Jean sitting a ways away, tapping away at his phone. I was really happy to see him. I mean, we had sent pictures to eachother over the break but seeing him in person was better than that. I smiled and jogged over to him. He looked up and smiled. "Hey!" He stood up. "Hey." I said. "What are you doing here?" "I thought I'd pick you up from the airport." I really wanted to hug him but... "I missed you." He suddenly said. What? I felt my face get a bit hot. "I-... Really?" Jean smirked. "What? You didnt miss me?" "No it's not that!" I exclaimed, laughing a bit and rubbing my nose nervously. "I just... Wasnt expecting that... I missed you, too." He looked down a bit, half-smiling, his hands shoved in his pockets. God he was so cute... I really wanted to hug him... Screw it. I stepped closer to him and pulled him into a tight hug. Jean slowly wrapped his arms around me, hugging me back. I sighed softly. Im sure he could feel my heart beating. It was so loud in my ears. Jean touched my hair, obviously. I smirked a bit when I felt it. We stood there for a few moments before I pulled away. Jean smiled at me and I smiled back. "C'mon." He said, grabbing my suitcase and headed for the door. I followed. "Jean. How are we going to get a suitcase on a motercycle?" "Oh! Right! I got a car over the break." What?! "Wait... You did? Why? Thanksgiving isnt meant for gifts." "I know. But I figures it'd be better for me to have a car so I asked my parents for one a few weeks ago and they gave it to me this past week. I was expecting it to happen at Christmas so it was a shock but, hey, whatever works." I sighed. Jean's parents were pretty wealthy so Jean could just ask and they would get him what he wanted. Jean and I approaced a very nice black, shiny car. Oh man... I was just starting to get used to the motercycle! Now he had to go and get a car... Jean opened the trunk and put my suitcase in, closing it after. He looked at me. "... Well go on and get in." Ugghh. I made a sound then opened thw passenger side door, getting in and closing the door behind me. Jean flopped in next to me, closing his door. He put the keys in the ignition as I was clipping my seatbelt on. Jean put his own seatbelt on and rested his arm on the back of my chair as he looked out the back window to back out of the parking space. Oh my God I'm going to die. I took a shaky breath and Jean glanced at me. When we were out of the parking space, Jean ruffled my hair before starting to drive us to Coirtney.

Soon, though, I wasnt so terrified, because Jean kept conversation with me the whole ride. Which I was thankful for. "Did you start on that project?" He said. "Yeah. It's in my suitcase." I answered. "How far did you get?" "About halfway done, I would say." "How do you do this shit so quickly?" I laughed a bit. "Because I actually work on it." Jean smirked. "I work on it too! You must have Bodt bots or something. Clones." I laughed harder. "Bodt bots! You should patent that!" Jean laughed. When we reached Coirtney, Jean parked and pulled the keys out of the ignition, stuffing them into his pocket as he got out of the car. I stepped out, as well. Jean opened the trunk and pulled my suitcase out, setting it on the floor, then closing the trunk and locking the car. I grabbed my suitcase and Jean and I headed to the dorm building. "Hey. I did somethig you may or may not approve of." Jean said. Crap. What did he do? "Whaat...?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "I requested a room change over the break. And... Then I requested another room change, under your name." What?! "Jean!" I exclaimed. "What?! Why?" "Dude! We have the same dorm together now! Be happy!" I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I dont think I can handle you for that long. You do something ridiculous every two seconds." Jean laughed. "Hey! I thought we were friends, Marco!" "What's the room number? Do you have my key?" "Yeah!" He said, handing me the key. "It's room 135 on the same floor as before. And you'll have to give your old room key to Armin." "Right." I said, shoving the key into my pocket. I shook my head and Jean laughed. "I swear..." I said as I started carrying my suitcase up the stairs to the floor that my new room was on.

Jean helped me unpack then I gave my old key back to Armin. He wished me luck, to which I responded with a groan. I really needed to ask Jean out soon, though. I couldnt really wait anymore. It just wasnt the right time, though. When Jean and I went back to the lobby of the dorm building, Annie was carrying a giant freaking tree into the building with Reiner and Bertholdt's help, and Annie nearly hit me with it, not seeing me. I fell onto the floor trying to get out of the way, making a disgruntled sound in the process. "Oh sorry, Marco." Annie said. "I-It's fine." I said, standing. "You alright?" Jean asked me. I nodded. "That's a big ass tree!" Ymir yelled from the couch in the lobby where she was sitting with Christa, Sasha, and Connie. I smirked. "Hell yeah it is!" Reiner yelled back. "Okay." Annie said as they got to where they wanted the tree to be. "How are we going to put this thing down?" The three of them situated themselves so Bertholdt, who was at the end, was standing next to the spot they wanted to put the tree. Bert and Reiner started to position their parts of the tree down into the spot but Annie couldnt push the top up. "Let me help." I said, heading over and replacing Annie with myself. I pushed the top of the tree up as best I could, but I couldnt quite get it. "Marco." Bert said. "Let's switch jobs." Good idea. Maybe it would have been a good idea to have people hold up our parts while we switched because when we let go, Reiner almost died, yelling, "FUCK! TREE! ORGANS! CRUSHHEDD!" We grabbed our new parts of the tree and Reiner recovered. "God you guys! Do you want me to die?" I laughed a bit. "Im so sorry, Reiner!" Then we started successfully placing the tree down in it's spot. I sighed in relief when it was there. "Thanks, Marco." Annie said. "No problem." I smiled at her.

Mikasa suddenly came in with Eren, carrying a ton of Christmas decorations. "Found them!" Eren exclaimed. "Good for you, Jeager." Jean said. "Shut up! Oh. Marco's back!" Eren and Mikasa came over and put the decorations down. Mikasa hugged me and I hugged her back before she pulled away. "Do I get a hug?" Eren said, holding his arms out to me. I laughed. "Su-" "No!" Jean exclaimed sliding in to stand in front of me. I laughed a bit and put my hands on Jean's shoulders, looking at Eren from behind Jean. "Sorry, Eren. I guess you dont get a hug." Eren smirked. "Fine. Whatever." I poked Jean. "Dont be such a jerk. He just wanted a hug. He's my friend." "Trust exercise-GO!" He suddenly exclaimed, falling back. I scrambled to catch him. "Eep!" I yelled, managing to grab him. "Dont do that! I was legitimately afraid that I'd let you drop." "But you wouldnt." Jean said. I sighed. "Help us decorate!" Eren yelled to Armin who was coming down the stairs. "Fine. Fine." Armin responded. I let Jean go. "Did you have sugar before you left for the airport?" "No." He said, turning to me, smiling. "I'm just excited to see you." I felt my face get hot. Sasha and Connie suddenly showed up next to us. "Are you guys dating yet?" Connie asked. My face got really hot and Jean turned a deep red. "I-uh..." I managed. "I'm gonna help decorate the tree." Then I got out of that awkward moment and went over to Armin, Eren, and Mikasa. Christa and Ymir were on their way over to the decorations, too. There was definately more than one awkward moment with Jean and I when this tree was being decorated.

It was great when the tree was done and Bertholdt got the star on top of it with some help from Reiner. It looked amazing. I headed to the couch and flopped down into it. Jean came over after a few moments, smiling at me and sitting next to me. I smiled back. "So..." He said. "Yeah?" I smiled a bit more. "About what Connie and Sasha said..." I felt my face get hot. He wasnt about to ask me out, was he? "Y-Yeah?" He rubbed the back of his neck and turned pink. "I just... Well... I wanted to... Urg." He sighed and looked at me. "Marco... Would you... Could we... Maybe go ou-" Eren suddenly flopped down on top of us really hard. "AHH!" I yeed, genuinely terrified for a bit until I realized what was happening. "OOOF!" Jean exclaimed. "Hey guys." Eren said. "What're you two up to? Not doing anything that would be too good for horseface, yeah?" Jean pushed Eren off- "Get the fuck off, Jaegar!"-and onto the floor. Eren hit his head on the coffee table as he went down. Oh God. "Eren!" I exclaimed, standing and helping Eren up. Jean groaned and stood. "Jean. Cant you be nicer? Nobody has ro get hurt." I said, making sure Eren was alright. "Yeah horseface!" "Can I not just have a private moment wih you, Marco?!" It got really quiet in the lobby and my face felt hot as I realized that everyone near the tree was staring at us. Mikasa ran over and grabbed Eren, scolding him. "What do you need to talk to Marco privately about, Jean?" Ymir questioned. Jean turned pinker and I felt like I needed to save him. "Just..." I said. Jean looked at me. "Nothing, guys. Okay?" Everyone seemed to calm down and go back to what they were doing, thankfully. I sighed with relief. "Thanks..." Jean said. "Of course..." I said. "Now. What did you want to say to me?" Jean considered it for a minute then said, "Bah... Forget it. It's not important." Uugghhh! Nooo! Freaking Eren! I sighed. "Okay..." "Did you have something to say?" Yes. I want to kiss your face. "No." Dammit Marco. "Marco!" Armin yelled for me. I sighed. "Polo!" I said back, walking over.


	18. Ten Steps at a Time CH 11 (Jean)

I woke up on Monday to Marco gently shaking my shoulder. "Jean..." I heard him say softly. It was actually so soothing that I considered just going back to sleep. But I groaned and rolled over, rubbing my eyes and asking, "Whaddaya wan'...?" "Get up." He responded, "It's five." What?! "Fucking... You get up at five? You're insane..." He just smirked. "You're insane. Now c'mon." Then he grabbed my wrist and started pulling me out of bed. I stood up. "Urgg... I hate you..." He held up an annoying heart shape with his hands and I hit his hands to kill it. "Hey!" He laughed, "You broke it!" "Screw you." I said. "You and your frickin Uggs..." I shuffled over to the bathroom and Marco said. "Dont diss them. I got them from Australia." "You went all the way to Australia to get those pieces of shit?!" I asked as I closed the bathroom door. I heard Marco laugh. Then he said, "I'm gonna head down to the cafeteria, Jean." "Kay." I responded, doing my normal morning things and changing when I came out of the bathroom. Then I put on my coat, scarf, beanie, boots, and gloves. When I walked into the cafeteria, I blew into my hands to warm them then headed over and Armin scooted over so I could sit next to Marco. "Hey, man!" Connie said to me. "Hey." I responded. "You look tired." Armin pointed out. "Hmm I wonder WHY!" I exclaimed, looking at Marco and bashing my shoulder into his. He just smiled, patting my head. Ugh. I rolled my eyes. Then I reached over and fixed Sasha's hair. She smiled and said, "You guys really need to start going out." Sasha said. Marco sighed. "Oh my God." I said, "Can you stop talking about that already? I'm serious, guys. It's really aggrivating." "Fine fine. Sorry." Connie said. "Thank you." I said. I knew they wouldn't stop, though. I had to eat breakfast. My new food plan shit wanted me to eat breakfast and the night before, Connie wouldn't leave me alone about following it and I knew he would never shut up if I didn't do what it said. Which was good, in hindsight. If my mom couldnt nag me, Connie would. I needed the nagging. Plus, I knew I needed to get better from this thing. The doctor had said that I was "lucky" that my mom had said something because it had only started becoming an issue and I hadn't lost as much weight as patients he saw before usually had already. I don't want to make this sound like this isn't difficult for me. These disorders are no laughing matter and taking it lightly is not something that happens. It's difficult. I found myself crying a lot about my weight, stressing out about it a lot, and wondering how much of whatever shit makes you fat was in the crap I was eating when I really didn't need to be… It's not a joke… I mean, now I had a calorie plan but if I ate over the amount, it was okay. I felt Connie and Armin's eyes on me the entire time I was eating. Luckily, Marco didn't seem to notice their odd behavior.

When we got to Pixis' class, I was happy when Marco sat next to me when we were working on our projects. I noticed suddenly that all of our Prisma Colors were mixed up. "Marco." I said, "Is this yours?" I pointed to a blue Prisma Color pencil. Marco looked over and stared owlishly at the colored pencils before saying, "Jean..." Covering his face with his hands and smiling. I laughed. "What?" I heard Marco sigh. "Wait, what?" I laughed a bit more. Marco pointed at the pool of Prisma Colors. "'Is this yours?'" He mocked me! "How about 'How many of these are yours?'?!" I laughed harder. Bitch! "I was getting there!" Marco laughed. "Oh yeah! Of course!" I kept laughing and smacked his shoulder. "Stop!" Then Marco started seperating our Prisma Colors and I just went back to coloring. Screw this guy. He didnt answer my damn question about the blue one. "Help me!" Marco exclaimed. I just laughed and kept working. Then he pointed a pink colored pencil at me. The fuck? "I'm going to..." He said. "What?" I asked, grinning at him, "What the Hell are you going to do, Marco?" He laughed a bit and raised his eyebrows at me. I kept grinning and staring at him, raising an eyebrow. Then the fucker drew a smiley face in pink on my piece in the corner. What the fuck?! I gasped a bit and laughed. "You asshole! And with the pink one!" I started trying to erase the smiley face. "That's what you get!" He exclaimed, starting to seperate the colored pencils again. If I said I loved him, that would be weird right? Hmm... "I love you, man." I said as I was erasing. Saying "man" makes it no homo. I looked at him when he didnt respond for a few moments, raising an eyebrow and waiting. He was red and he sighed softly saying. "I love you, too." "WHAT?!" Reiner boomed from across the room. We both looked up. "Did you guys say the thing? Are you doing eachother?" My face got hot. "No, dude!" I yelled. "We're just-MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS!" I felt Marco's hand on my shoulder and I calmed down slightly. "Okay. Jeez." Reiner said, going back to what he was doing. "Relax." Marco whispered to me, rubbing my shoulder. Shit... I nodded a bit, taking a deep breath. "You know you're the best, right?" He said to me. I smirked at him, "Yeah right..." "Really, Jean..." He smiled and I probably turned even pinker. "You're better than me." I said, turning back to my paper. "Yeah right, Jean." Marco said, "I'm the worst." "Shut up. I dont want to hear it. I am no longer listening to you." I said, tuning him out and continuing on my piece. I guess he finished separating them after a big because all my Prisma Colors were near me the next time I looked. Marco had a sheet of paper out and he was just staring at it. He had this expression on his face and his eyes were glossy. Then he suddenly came back to reality and started writing down things on the paper. "You cool?" I asked him. He blinked, looking qt me. "H-Huh?" He asked. "You look upset." I knitted my eyebrows together. Marco wiped his eyes before sighing a bit and nodding, forcing a smile. "Yeah. I'm alright." "You can tell me whatever, dude." I said. "I know." He responded, smiling a bit more. Weird.

The next day was pretty normal. Marco seemed a bit strange but I didn't want to pester him. He might just have been tired. Plus, I was busy worrying about myself and my food situation. Then, Hell broke loose on Wednesday, December the 3rd. Marco woke me up as per usual. With a gentle shake of the shoulder and a soft, "Jean..." But when I rolled over and looked at him... He looked awful. He was pale and his hair wasnt in the best state. Plus he had dark circles under his eyes and, lucky for me, his eyes are pretty big so I could see how bloodshot they were. I narrowed his eyebrows and squinted at him. I could barely see so it was hard to process. "You look sick... You alright...?" I asked. He nodded. "I'm fine." I sat up, yawning, then made my way into the bathroom. I got ready for the day then headed to the cafeteria, ready to eat. I noticed that Marco sat with Mikasa, Eren, and Armin. All three of them looked pretty worried, though. Makes sense. Marco looked like crap. I decided to sit next to him for a few minutes before actually taking on the task of eating. I was starting to gain some confidence slowly. "Hey..." I said, "You gonna eat?" He shook his head. "Not really hungry." Then I noticed... He had tennis shoes on?! The fuck?! No Uggs?! "... Where are your Uggs?" I asked him I asked him as I ran a hand through his hair, attempting to fix it. "I thought you hated them..." He responded, resting his head on his arms that were folded on the table. "I dont. I just like giving you a hard time." I said. And it was true. "What's wrong with you, Marco?" I tried, "Did something happen?" "Leave him alone, horseface." Eren interuppted. I looked at him, "He's probably just tired or something and he clearly doesnt want to talk about it." I narrowed my eyebrows, "Shut up, Jaegar! Nobody's fucking talking to you!" "Yeah well Marco is trying not to talk to you!" Jaegar exclaimed. I stood, "That is not fucking true!" Eren stood, as well, "Yes it is, horseface!" "Shut the hell up, you guys!" Marco suddenly yelled. We all looked at him and he was pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just shut up..." Shit... I sat down. He sighed. "I'm sorry, Marco..." I said. "It's okay... I just dont feel too well today so I just cant deal with you and Eren..." He responded. I nodded and ran my hand through his hair again. "Sorry." I said again. He nodded a bit. "It's okay..."

During Hanji's class, All About that Bass by Mehgan Trainer suddenly came on out of no where right next to me. I looked at Marco, knitting my eyebrows together as he fumbled to pull his phone out of his pocket. He glanced at me before he stood and answered his phone with, "Ciao, Mamma." I raised an eyebrow. I knew he was Italian but it was slightly surprising to hear him speak it. He went out into the hall, closing the door behind him. Hanji had this expression of confusion on her face and everybody looked back at her. "Okay! Great song! Anyways!" She exclaimed. Then she started talking again. Suddenly, somebody tapped me on the shoulder from behind and when I turned, Bertholdt was looking at me. The fuck did he want? This dude never spoke to me. "Is Marco okay?" He whispered to me. "I dont know." I whispered back, "I hope so." He nodded and I turned back around. I sighed, opening up my sketchbook and starting to doodle. I started to doodle a person and it ended up being Marco. I groaned and doodled myself next to him then I did something that I kicked myself for later on. I drew a heart around us. It was a while before I was pulled out of my zoned out tate. "Jean. Can you go check on Marco?" Hanji said. I nodded, closing my sketchbook and standing then jogging to the door and opening it slowly. I looked behind the door and Marco was there, wiping his eyes. I knitted my eyebrows together. "Hey. You alright?" I asked. "Yeah!" He said, smiling. "Just a phonecall from my mom." Then he walked past me and went into the room. He was alright? Bullshit.

When class ended, Marco left, saying that he was going to go back to the dorm. I was going to ask what was wrong again but he looked terrible and I didnt want to push it. During the last class of the day, I realized that Marco wasnt there and I was actually extremely worried. Shit. Where the fuck was he? I was going to leave to find him but the professor wouldnt let me go. So as soon as class was over at seven, I sprinted to the dorm building, not caring about the shouts that I got from people as I ran through the crowd of students. I took the steps two at a time, almost falling once, and fumbled to unlock the dorm door. When I opened it, Marco was asleep in his bed, no covers covering him. Dammit he was messed up and I didnt even know why. I sighed, closing the door behind me and heading over to him. I leaned down and rubbed his back. "Marco." I said, "Marco." He woke with a start and rubbed his eyes as he sat up quickly. I stopped rubbing his back. "Hey..." I said, knitting my eyebrows together. He looked at me. "You alright?" I asked him, "You missed class. It's, like, seven thirty... I was worried..." He looked a lot better than before but he still didnt look like his normal self. He suddenly looked like he was going to be sick and he covered his mouth. Shit. I couldnt handle emotion... "Jean..." He said. My eyebrows were knitted together. Then I noticed there were tears starting to fall. The fuck? I raised my eyebrows. "Woah woah!" I exclaimed, getting closer to him. "Marco. What the hell is wrong?" He shook his head a bit. Then I started, "Look. Marco. You've looked terrible all day. Tell me what the fuck is wrong. Now." "I just..." He choked. "Jamie's birthday..." Tears started streaming down his face. Shit. Jamie's birthday was today? "Marco..." I said, "W-Why didnt you tell me...?" I sat down on the bed. "I didnt want to b-burden you, Jean..." I sighed. This guy was too nice. "You're too nice, man... You can tell me anything..." Then I grabbed his free hand and held it. "But I dont want to be a burden..." I chuckled a bit. This idiot. "You arent a burden." I said. "Why arent you home for this day?" "I usually am but... My parents wanted me to get away from this sister thing so I would have one less thing to worry about... But it hurts to be away..." Then he started sobbing. Shit. Fuck. Dammit. What the Hell do I dooo! I sighed and scooted over to him and hugged him really awkwardly. Good job, Jean. Perfect. He hugged me back and I just let him him cry on me. I rubbed his back awkwardly and held him until he started calming down. Then I pulled away and looked at him. "Feel better...?" I asked, wiping away his tears with my thumb. He turned a bit red. "Not really..." He had major dark circles under his eyes, "God you really should sleep..." I said. Then I realized that I was touching Marco's face and my own face got hot. "You look so tired..." "I am tired... I just slept for about six hours, though... And I had a bad nightmare... I just want to sit here with you... Is that okay...?" My face got hotter and I pulled my hand away from his face. "I... Uhh... Y-Yeah. That's fine..." "Is there something wrong with us being together alone...?" He asked, knitting his eyebrows together. Shit. My face got hotter. "N-No! No, Marco! Not at all! I just-I wasnt-! Blah!" Then he smiled a bit. "I'm messing with you." Dammit. "I hate you..." I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. "You cant do that when I think you're genuinely upset..." "You're too funny." He said. "I'm glad it makes you feel better to see me feel really awkward." I responded. "Oh come on... You always make me feel better no matter what you do..." He said smiling a bit. I stared at him before saying, "You cant be a real person. You're too fucking nice." He smiled a bit more.

We were quiet then he said, "Jean?" I looked at him, "Yeah?" "This might be a random question but... Are you straight?" I laughed a bit. Aw shit. This question. Marco smiled. "I'm not straight." I said. "I'm bi. I'm not really happy about it, though..." He knitted his eyebrows together. "Why not?" "My family, apart from my mother, doesnt like it... They were always happy with me bringing girls home but if I brought a guy home, they wouldnt talk to me until we had broken up..." He sighed a bit. "But you probably wouldnt understand. Your family sounds amazing." "I get it!" He suddenly said. I looked at him. "I mean, my family accepts the fact that I'm gay, sure, but..." He said, "I had a group of guy friends my freshman year of college and... When I came out to them, they all stopped being my friends because they all thought I was interested in them." The fuck? I raised an eyebrow. "I know..." He said, agreeing with my expression, "I was really upset at losing so many friends at one time." "They didnt deserve to be your fucking friends if they were gonna be dumbasses like that." He widened his eyes a bit and laughed softly. "Oh really? Say what you feel, Jean." I laughed a bit. "But, Jean." He started again. I looked at him. "Dont be ashamed of being bi, please. Just do what you want as far as that is concerned and be happy with whoever you end up being with." I half smiled. "I know." I said, "I just dont like the part where my family doesnt like it. It sucks." Marco nodded. "I get it..." We were quiet. "Marco..." I said, "Can I ask you something...?" "Yeah?" He asked. "Do you think anybody would genuinely want to go out with me..? I had a girlfriend for a few years and we broke up this summer. But it destroyed my confidence in my dating abilities." He sighed a bit after thinking for a second. "Jean... You arent exactly the best as far as your social skills are concerned. And you knew that... But... I'm sure anyone would be lucky to have you, Jean... I think you're absolutely amazing..." Shit. I know I turned pink. I bit my lower lip, looking away from him and saying, "I love you, man..." "I love you, too... Um... Bro?" Marco said. Pfff! I laughed and looked back at him. "Dork!" I exclaimed. He laughed a bit, too. "Dont say the word bro ever again!" I said. He laughed a bit more. "Aw but c'mon!" He exclaimed. I smiled. I was glad that he was mostly back to himself... He was actually really attractive right now... "Hey..." I said, "You wanna go hang out in the commons building?" He nodded a bit. "Change into something more comfortable than this, Marco." I said, "You're so stressed that you didnt even wear your Uggs. Fucking absurd." I grinned and he smiled back. Then I stood up and zipped up my jacket. "I'll meet you there." I said, smiling then heading out and closing the door behind me.

I trudged through the snow to the commons building. I opened the door and the wind slammed it behind me. I jumped, taking a deep breath of warm air. Then I shoved my red gloves into the pockets of my blue jacket and put it on the coat rack. I kicked off my black boots as I pulled off my black scarf, wrapping it around my jacket on the hanger. I straightened my green beanie with snowflakes on it and headed over to the fireplace. There was already a log in there so I just started up the fire and flopped down onto the couch, sighing. I really had to be with Marco. What Armin said before Thanksgiving break about Marco being taken soon was extremely accurate. Gerald wasnt the first one I'd witnessed who asked Marco out. There were at least two guys I'd witnessed who'd asked this man out and he turned them down so politely that they walked away smiling. There were also, like, four girls! And one other girl gave ME a NOTE to give to him! I threw it away. If you're gonna ask someone out, fucking talk to them. What was this first through tenth grade note shit? I heard the door to the commons building open and slam shut. I turned and Marco was taking his jacket off. He had a green long sleeved shirt on, blue night pants with snowmen on them and brown Uggs! Hell yes. The Uggs are back! He walked over to the couch. "Hey." I said, smiling. He smiled back and walked around the couch before sitting down next to me. "Hi." He said, "You dont need to wear shoes in here, you know?" "I know." He responded, "It's okay." Take off the Uggs... It was quiet then I grabbed one of his Uggs, "Take off the Uggsss!" I yelled. He laughed. "Hey! Let go! I thought you said you didnt hate them!" I laughed, too. "I did! Take them off though!" I managed to pull off his right Ugg then I went for he left one. "Jean stttopppp!" "No way, man! Where are your fricking socks?!" "You told me to wear somehing comfortable!" He exclaimed, "Socks arent comfy to me unless they're fuzzy! And fuzzy socks with Uggs is just overkill!" I laughed. "These shoes are overkill alone!" I pulled off his left Ugg successfully and tossed both shoes aside. "Aha! Two points for Jean the bomb!" He laughed more. Then I noticed something that I didnt see before on Marco's left foot. "Hold the phone!" I yelled, grabbing his foot, causing him to fall onto the couch on his back. "Oof! Jean!" I looked at the tattoo of a dandelion with its seeds blowing away on his ankle. It was actually... Kind of sexy on him, not gonna lie. But I was still surprised because I had thought that he had just gotton the one on his wrist. "When did you get this shit? I thought you only had the wrist one." He smiled a bit. "Thomas gave me the foot one, basically, against my will." Idiot Thomas. I nodded. "I meant to tell you I liked the wrist tattoo." I said, half smiling at him. "I think it's nice." He flushed red and nodded. "Can you let go of my foot now?" I laughed. "Nevvaaarr!" He laughed, too. "Jean! Let go!" He struggled and I gripped onto his ankle with both hands. He stopped struggling, suddely, then he yanked his leg away randomly with all his strength. That got me to let go. "Woah!" I yelled, "Wasnt expecting that!" He grinned. We were quiet for a bit. I decided that I would ask him a question that would help me get closer to what I thought he would say when I asked him out. So I asked, "Marco...?" He looked at me. "Yeah?" I twisted my nose ring, "Would you ever date anyone like me?" "Jean. I would, gladly, date someone EXACLTY like you." Hell yes. My face got hot. "Then... Could I ask you something?" I said. He sat up. "Would you help me get Connie and Sasha together?" He raised an eyebrow. "Why?" "Because help me." I said. He sighed. "Jeaann-" cute "-That's not fair. They've been bugging us about getting together this whole time and we dont like it. Now we're supposed to bug them about getting together with eachother? I'm not a hypocrite." I groaned loudly and yelled, "Maaarrrcccccooooooo! Plllzzz! You dont understand how important this is!" "No, Jean." "How about this? We'll arm wrestle and if I win, you help me." He raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want to do that?" He asked. I was slightly offended. "What? You dont think I could win?" He suddenly grabbed my arm and felt my bicep. "No. I dont think you can." I yanked his arm away, my face feeling hot. He just laughed.

"C'mon!" I said, sitting on the floor and putting my elbow on the coffee table. He sighed. "Fine." Marco came and sat down across from me and put his own elbow on the table, grabbing my hand. All I could think was that his hand was really warm until I realized the task at hand. "Call it." I said. He smirked. "Okay. One.. Two.. Go!" I was really fucking confident until Marco beat me! I slammed my head on the table and Marco laughed, patting my shoulder across the table. "Thumb wrestling contest!" I exclaimed, lifting my head back up and holding my hand out to him. He smirked and grabbed my hand. "Ready." I started, "Set.. Go!" He immediately pinned my thumb down. I groaned. Dammiiittt. "Fine! Rock paper scissors!" I exlclaimed. "Lizard Spock?" He asked. Amazing! I laughed, "Sure! Go!" "Rock paper scissors lizard Spock!" We both yelled. I put down lizard and he put down rock, crushing my lizard. I groaned again. "Best two out of three!" I yelled. "Fine!" He exclaimed. "Rock paper scissors lizard Spock!" I put down Spock and Marco did scissors. So my Spock smashed his scissors. "Yes! I won one thing!" Marco laughed. "Once more, Jean." He reminded me. "Shit." "Rock paper scissors lizard Spock!" He put rock and I put Spock again. Spock vaporized his rock. "Darn!" He yelled. Fuck yes! "Ahaa!" I yelled, "I win! You have to help me!" "No way! I won three times! You won twice!" Damn... I groaned. "Dammit... You're right... Two more rounds?" Marco rolled his eyes and grinned, "Fine." "Rock paper scissors lizard Spock!" I put lizard and he put Spock. His Spock was poisoned. He pouted and I laughed loudly. "One more, Jean! Now we're tied!" He exclaimed." "Right right!" I answered. "Rock paper scissors lizard Spock!" He put paper and I put scissors. He groaned and yelled, "Noooooo!" I laughed. "Yess! You have to help!" He sighed, "Fine whatever. Congrats. You're the best, you idiot." It was quiet. "So." I started. I wondered if he had any modifications other than a few innocent tattoos. "Hm?" He said, "Do you have any piercings?" He smirked a bit. "Maybe." He said. Oh fuck off. I grinned, "Oh really? Where?" He smirked more and shrugged, "You'll just have to find out." Oh God. I felt my face get hot. "Is that a come on?" He just shrugged, grinning a bit. "Can I guess?" I asked. He shrugged, grinning a bit wider and putting his elbow on the coffee table and resting his chin in his hand. "Stop shrugging and answer me!" I exclaimed, grinning. "Gimme a hint!" He chuckled. Got that chuckle. "Fine. I have two." I groaned. "Another hint! Are they on your face?" "One of them is." He said. I made a face. Dammit. My face got hotter and I looked him over. He laughed. I noticed that he didnt have his ears pierced. "I can tell that your ears arent pierced. Why get something else on you face pierced when it's so obvious to get your ears pierced?" He shrugged again. I laughed, "Stop that!" "I'll give you another hint. Thomas gave me them." Well that doesnt help. If Thomas dated him at some point, any part of his body was possible. "Did you ever date Thomas?" He wrinkled his nose and I laughed at that face. "I'll take that as a no... I'm gonna guess... Bellybutton." Marco raised his eyebrows. "What was your thought process." He asked. "Well." I started, "When you said that one was on your face, there were four obvious answers for your body so-" "Oh yeah? What were they?" He interrupted. Fuck you. I know that I turned pink but I just cleared his throat. "Anyways. So-" "No! Tell me!" He interrupted again. "I'm getting there!" I exclaimed. "So! When you said that Thomas did them, it didnt really narrow it down if you two had dated because that meant that your-ahem-vital regions were a possibility." He laughed and turned red. My face got really hot. "Okay! I understand! You dont have to-" "Oh no, Marco! You said I have to!" I interuppted. "You dont have to-" "NIPPLES!" I yelled. I cracked up. "Stop!" I cracked up, too. After a few moments I clarified, "So it is your bellybutton, right?" He smiled at me. "Yeah. It is."

Marco's phone started spouting Mehgan Trainer again. His mom again?I stopped smiling when Marco frowned and pulled his phone out of his pocket and answered it. "C-Ciao, Mamma..." He said. "What's up?" I sighed softly. "I havent yet." He was saying, "I was asleep and I wasnt feeling too well so I actually just looked at my phone for the first time since I woke up. Hang on." Then he pulled the phone away from his ear and tapped away at it before scrolling through something. He smiled a bit and put the phone to his ear again. "It looks like you guys are having a good time." He said. "... Better. You should have seen me earlier, though." He slowly smiled as his mom said something then he laughed a bit. "Good call." He said. He chuckled at something she said. "I'm just talking with Jean and trying to have a good time." I smirked and he looked at me. "He's doing fine." He said. Then turned red, "Mother! I dont know." I laughed. "Did she ask you something about us being in a romantic relationship?" I asked. He nodded. I heard his mom yell, "Put me on speaker! I want to talk to Jean!" Hr pulled the phone away as she yelled then he put her on spekaer and set the phone down on the table with a sigh. "There. You're on-" "Jean!" She yelled. I laughed. "Yes, ma'am?" I asked, coming around the coffee table and sitting next to Marco so she could hear me better. "How are you?" She asked, "Is Marco being a handful?" I was grinning. Marco smirked. "I'm fine and no." I said, "He's not. I can take care of him." "You can take care of him?" She asked. "Yes, ma'am." "Wow!" She exclaimed, "First guy he's met besides Thomas who can put up with him!" I laughed and Marco gasped. "That is not true, mother!" "I found out that your son had a bellybutton piercing." I decided to say. Marco gasped again, horrified. "What? He does? Marco?" She exclaimed. "Jean! I'm gonna beat you up!" Marco yelled at me. I cracked up. "No beating anyone up, Marco!" His mom exclaimed, "When did you get that?! Marco?!" He sighed. "I got it my junior year of highschool..." She gasped. "Marco!" "I'm sorry!" I was laughing. "Marco. Why?" She asked. "I'm sorry. But, hey, I had great grades and I was top rank in ROTC my Senior year." She sighed. "Okay. Fine, Marco... It's okay. You're right." He sighed softly. "Good... Have a good night, mother." "You, too, Marky." "Ti amo." He said. "Ti amo!" Then he hung up and looked at me with this face. Shit. I laughed. "Now. Before you-" Then he just tackled me and I made a loud sound. "Get off!" I yelled, struggling. Then he was straddling me and had my wrists pinned. "Gotcha!" He yelled. My face got really hot. Shit... I didnt mind this. He was warm... His face turned red. God he smelled good... I gulped then Marco was leaning down to kiss me. Hell yes. I looked at him and just as I was starting to lean up, the door to the commons building crashed open, scaring the Hell out of Marco. "Oh my GOD!" He yelled, jumping. Then coming back down and crushing me! I yelped. Sasha's head poked above the couch. She turned red. "WHAT? What?! Whatttt?!" "What?" Connie said, then he walked over to Sasha. He turned red, too. "HOLY SHIT! IS THIS HAPPENING?!" Marco stood. "No-!" He said, "Yes-! I dont know! What?" I fumbled to get up. "Are you telling me that you still arent dating?" Sasha exclaimed, holding the sides of her head and screaming. "What about you two?" Marco yelled above Sasha's screaming. She went silent and both her and Connie stared at Marco. "Yeah." I said, clearing his throat and crossing his arms, trying to compose myself, "What about you guys? You should be going out." They both turned red then Connie said, "We are." It was quiet. What? What? What?! He was dating Sasha and he didnt even tell me? He fulfilled his side of the bargain and he kept me waiting?! "Wait what?" Marco asked. "We've been dating since the middle of Thanksgiving Break." Connie answered. Marco sighed. I screamed and Marco jumped at least a mile up. "Why the fuck didnt you tell me?!" I yelled, stomping around the couch towards Connie. I was gonna rip his head off! Connie ran around the opposite side of the couch. "Dude! I was gonna! I just needed some time!" Then we started a cat and mouse chase around the couch. "Oh FUCK off! I've been waiting for a while!" I yelled. "Dude you still probably wont do it! It doesnt matter!" "Imuna friggin kill you you sonuvabitch!" Suddenly, Marco grabbed me, picking me up. "Calm down!" He exclaimed. Oh Hell no!

I struggled and flailed in his grasp. Connie started catching his breath then he made his way back to Sasha. "Stoppit, Jean! Seriously!" Marco yelled at me. Woah. I stopped at that, panting. "What is wrong with you?" "Nothing!" I yelled, "It's Connie's fault!" Connie put his hands up in defense. "What is it?" Marco asked. "Nothing! Just lemme down." He let me down and I gave Connie a glare then went to the coat rack, pulling on my jacket, shoes, gloves, then flipping my scarf around my neck. I waited for Marco to get his stuff ready. I opened the door when Marco was ready and went outside. Marco walked out behind me, closing the door. "Jean. What was that about?" He said, coming up next to me. "Nothing!" I exclaimed. He suddenly grabbed my hand and I stopped walking, looking at him. He had his eyebrows knitted together. "Jean..." I sighed, studying his face and eyes. Dammit. "Look. You wont be mad, right?" He shook my head. "So..." I started, "Connie was bothering me about asking somebody you dont know about something really important but I was too embarassed to ask. So I said that if he asked Sasha out, I would do it. And I started relying on Connie to ask Sasha out so I could have the shove to ask this person the thing but he didnt tell me that he and Sash were dating until now!" He sighed the said. "Jeaann... You're dumb..." Yup. "I know, Marco..." We were quiet. "Well now you can ask that person, right..?" He asked. Shit. I felt my face get hot and I nodded. I sighed and looked at him. "Marco..." I gotta do it now. "Yeah?" Shit shit shit. I put my free hand on my shoulder and was going to say it when MARCO interuppted me. "Are we gonna dance?" He asked, putting his free hand on my waist and smiling. Fuck you, Marco! I couldnt say that, though so I laughed, hopefully, convincingly. "Sure!" He started swaying with me. I grinned then let him go after a few moments. We headed back to the dorm building and I frowned. Dammit.


	19. Ten Steps at a Time CH 11 (Marco)

I felt super awkward. At this moment, at 5 am, I was standing over Jean who was sleeping, trying to figure out what the best way to wake him up was. I sighed. He probably wasn't a morning person. I know I'm not. I was so tempted to run my hand through his hair and kiss him awake but... I just gently shook his shoulder. "Jean..." I said softly. He groaned and rolled over, rubbing his eyes. Cute. "Whaddaya wan'...?" He mumbled. "Get up. It's five." "Fucking... You get up at five? You're insane..." I smirked. "You're insane. Now c'mon." I grabbed his wrist and started pulling him out of bed. He hesitantly stood up. "Urgh... I hate you..." I held up a heart shape with my hands. He smacked my hands. "Hey!" I laughed, "You broke it!" "Screw you." Jean said. I wish. "You and your frickin Uggs..." He shuffled over to the bathroom and I sighed. "Dont diss them. I got them from Australia." "You went all the way to Australia to get those pieces of shit?!" He said as he closed the bathroom door. I laughed. I decided that I should probably go. I didnt want to be here when he was changing. "I'm gonna head down to the cafeteria, Jean." "Kay." I grabbed my keys and wallet and made my way to the cafeteria. As I walked over to the table where Connie and Sasha were with my breakfast, I heard Connie say, "First things first-" "I'm the realest." I interrupted Connie and sat. Connie and Sasha laughed. "Hey! You back to be part of the Cool Club instead of the JEAGAR club?" Connie said, mocking Jean. I laughed a bit, "Can I join two clubs?" "You can't be in all the clubs, Marco." "Aw man! Why not?" Sasha giggled, "We all know you're an overachiever, Marco." She said, "But you can't be in all the clubs." "I think he already is." Armin said, sitting next to me and smiling at me. I smiled back. "I dont know." "Everyone likes you." He continued. "Thanks." I felt my face get a bit hot. "So how is rooming with Jean?" Connie asked. "It's fine." I smiled at Connie, "He just doesnt want to get up at five." Connie laughed, "He's not a morning person." Jean walked in, blowing into his hands to warm them. He was so cute with his nose and cheeks pink from the cold. He headed over and Armin scooted over so Jean could sit next to me. "Hey, man!" Connie said. "Hey." Jean said. "You look tired." Armin pointed out. "Hmm I wonder WHY!" Jean exclaimed, looking at me and bashing his shoulder into mine. I smiled, patting his head. He just rolled his eyes. "God, Marco..." "You guys really need to start going out." Sasha said. I sighed. "Oh my God." Jean said, "Can you stop talking about that already? I'm serious, guys. It's really aggrivating." I nodded in agreement. It was. "Fine fine. Sorry." Connie said. "Thank you." Jean said.

We soon went to Pixis' class and I sat with Jean as we worked on our projects. "Marco. Is this yours?" He said pointing to a blue Prisma Color pencil. I realized that all of our Prisma Colors were lost in the pool of pencils. "Jean..." I said, covering my face with my hands and smiling. He laughed. "What?" I sighed. "Wait, what?" He laughed a bit more. I pointed at the pool of Prisma Colors. "'Is this yours?'" I said, mocking Jean. "How about 'How many of these are yours?'?!" Jean laughed harder. "I was getting there!" I laughed. "Oh yeah! Of course!" Jean kept laughing and smacked my shoulder. "Stop!" I started seperating our Prisma Colors and Jean just went back to coloring. "Help me!" Jean just laughed and kept working. I pointed a pink pencil at him. "I'm going to..." "What?" Jean said, grinning at me, "What the Hell are you going to do, Marco?" I laughed a bit and raised my eyebrows at him. He kept grinning and staring at me, raising an eyebrow. I drew a smiley face in pink on his piece in the corner. Jean gasped a bit and laughed. "You asshole! And wih the pink one!" He started trying to erase the smiley face. "That's what you get!" I exclaimed, starting to seperate the colors again. "I love you, man." Jean said as he was erasing. I felt my face get hot. He didnt mean it like that but... He looked at me, raising an eyebrow and waiting for a response. I sighed softly. "I love you, too." "WHAT?!" Reiner boomed from across the room. Jean and I looked up. "Did you guys say the thing? Are you doing eachother?" My face got really hot. "No, dude!" Jean yelled, turning pink. "We're just-MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS!" I put a hand on Jean's shoulder to calm him down. "Okay. Jeez." Reiner said, going back to what he was doing. "Relax." I whispered to him, rubbing his shoulder. He nodded a bit, taking a deep breath. I smirked a bit. "You know you're the best, right?" I said to him. He smirked at me, "Yeah right..." "Really, Jean..." I smiled. He turned pink. "You're better than me." He said to me, turning back to his paper. I smirked. "Yeah right, Jean. I'm the worst." "Shut up. I don't want to hear it. I am no longer listening to you." I rolled my eyes. I realized that I needed to finish a report for my pottery class about what projects I wanted to put into a competition. So I pulled out a sheet of paper and put my name and date on it. It was the 3rd of December. I realized that my sisters' birthday was in two days. My God... Already... Jamie deserved more than what I was giving her this birthday... I usually stayed home for the days leading up to Jamie's birthday and came back to school a couple days after we celebrated her day as a family. But this time... I couldn't stay... My parents made me come back early to get me to break away from Jamie more. Maybe it was for my own good... I didnt know. I started writing down names, colors, and sizes of pots that I wanted to submit. "You cool?" Jean asked me. "H-Huh?" I looked at him. "You look upset." He looked pretty worried. I wiped my eyes. My eyes were wet... I didnt notice... I sighed a bit and nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah. I'm alright." "You can tell me whatever, dude." He said. "I know." I responded, smiling a bit more.

The next day was a bit hard but I got through it. Then I woke up on December the 5th. I hadn't really slept much the night before. About an hour or two. And now my five o'clock alarm was going off for class. I cracked an eye open and turned off my alarm, staring at the ceiling. I wasnt ready today... I felt like crap and I just wanted to sit in my dorm and have a pity party... But I decided that I would try not to let today get to me. I got up and got dressed into a grey t-shirt, a black hoodie, my blue jeans, and my only pair of tennis shoes. I brushed my hair for a few moments before giving up and going to brush my teeth. I then headed over to Jean, gently shaking his shoulder and saying, "Jean..." Jean groaned a bit and rolled over, looking at me and rubbing his eyes. He narrowed his eyebrows and squinted at me, "You look sick... You alright...?" He said. No. Im not alright. I nodded. "I'm fine." Jean sat up, yawning. He got up and went into the bathroom. I grabbed my wallet and room key then headed down to the cafeteria. I didnt grab anything to eat. I didnt feel hungry. I sighed softly as I sat down with Armin, Mikasa. and Eren. Connie and Sasha werent around. "Hey." Eren said to me. "Good morning." I responded. Armin looked worried, "You alright?" He said. I nodded. "I'm fine." "You sure?" I nodded again. Jean came into the cafeteria after a bit and came and sat next to me. "Hey..." He said, "You gonna eat?" I shook my head. "Not really hungry." "... Where are your Uggs?" He asked. "I thought you hated them..." I said, resting my head on my arms folded on the table. "I dont. I just like giving you a hard time." He said. "What's wrong with yoh, Marco? Did something happen?" "Leave him alone, horseface." Eren said, "He's probably just tired or something and he clearly doesnt want to talk about it." "Shut up, Jaegar! Nobody's fucking talking to you!" Ugh. I didnt want to deal with this. Eren and Jean argued and they stood up when I couldnt handle it anymore. "Shut the hell up, you guys!" I yelled. Everyone looked at me. I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Just shut up..." Jean sat down. I sighed. I didnt want to hear it today. "I'm sorry, Marco..." Jean said. "It's okay... I just don't feel too well today so I just can't deal with you and Eren..." Jean nodded and rubbed my back. "Sorry." I nodded a bit. "It's okay..."

It was during Hanji's class when I got the call. Hanji was in the middle of her lesson when my ringtone for my mom came on. It was All About that Bass by Mehgan Trainer. My mom was obsessed with that song. I fumbled to pull my phone out of my pocket and Jean looked at me a bit worriedly. I stood and answered my phone in Italian with, "Ciao, Mamma." "Ciao, Marco." She answered back with a raspy voice just as I got out of the room. Then I switched back to English. "How are you today...?" "I'm okay, Marco. How are YOU doing today...?" I sighed softly, "Less than okay, mother... I cant even wear my Uggs today because I feel like it would be innapropriate for my less than chipper mood..." "Oh Marco... il mio bambino povero..." Which means "my poor baby." "I'll be okay..." I said. "You dont sound okay." She said. "Neither do you, mother." I heard her chuckle a bit over the phone. "You got me..." "How's Dad?" "He went out to get cake and things for dinner." "R-Right..." Cake... Of course. Every year... "I'll send pictures, Marky. Stay strong. Happy Jamie Day." "Happy Jamie Day to you, too..." I felt like I was about to start crying. I held it in, though. "I wish I could be there..." "Marky, you have to go on with your life. Your father and I have already lived our lives and have nothing to strive for but you have goals to reach. We just dont want you to worry about this anymore." "Mom... Please just let me come home... I was literally there when it happened... Remember the scar? I need to be there." She sighed. I heard some backround noise and some talking. Then she came back after a minute or two. "Okay, Marco..." She said, "I can tell you dont like being alone on this day... We wont do this again, alright? I just wanted to see if it would be helpful for you to get away on her birthday." I understood completely where she was coming from but I seemed to be doing worse on her birthday, being away. "Thank you mother... I understand... Send photos..." "Oh Marco... Have a good day...Ti amo..." "T-Ti amo, Mamma..." I felt my eyes welling up and I hung up. I covered my face with my hands as tears streamed down my face. I really wished I could get over it... But it was impossible... The scar wouldnt go away no matter what I tried... The door to Hanji's classroom started opening, so I quickly wiped my eyes and sniffed a bit. Jean came out and looked at me. "Hey. You alright?" "Yeah!" I said, smiling. "Just a phonecall from my mom." I went into the room past Jean who didn't seem convinced.

As lunch rolled around, I felt myself feeling even worse. I didnt want to eat so I went back to the dorm. Jean had decided to not try to bother me which I appreciated. When I got into the dorm and went into the bathroom, I saw myself in the mirror. I looked terrible. I was pale but my eyes were bloodshot and red around them. Plus I had dark bags under my eyes and my hair was slightly messy. I groaned a bit and went to my bed, flopping down into it. I felt awful and I wished I could be home. I curled up in bed and drifted off slowly. It must have been a few hours when Jean woke me up. I was having a really bad nightmare about something I don't remember when I heard Jean calling for me. I woke with a start and felt someone rubbing my back. I realized it was Jean when I sat up and he stopped rubbing my back. I rubbed my eyes. "Hey..." He said. And when I looked at him, I realized he looked really worried. "You alright? You missed class. It's, like, seven... I was worried..." No... I wasn't okay... I felt even worse than before. I felt like I was going to barf... But... I held it in... I covered my mouth and felt tears starting to prickle my eyes. I needed to tell Jean... But I didn't want to be a burden... I gulped as tears started to pool... "Jean..." Jean's eyebrows were knitted together. Then he noticed the tears starting to fall and his expression changed to slight shock. "Woah woah!" He exclaimed, getting closer to me. "Marco. What the hell is wrong?" I shook my head a bit. "Look. Marco. You've looked terrible all day. Tell me what the fuck is wrong. Now." He was being really assertive... It was sexy but I couldn't really appreciate it at the moment. "I just..." I choked. "Jamie's birthday..." I felt the tears starting to stream down my face. "Marco..." Jean said, "W-Why didn't you tell me...?" He sat down on my bed. "I didnt want to b-burden you, Jean..." Jean sighed. "You're too nice, man... You can tell me anything..." Jean grabbed my hand that wasnt already over my mouth and held it. "But I dont want to be a burden..." Jean chuckled a bit. "You arent a burden." I tried to stop the tears but they kept coming. "Why arent tiu home for this day?" "I usually am but... My parents wanted me to get away from this sister thing so I would have one less thing to worry about... But it hurts more to be away..." I really wanted to stop the tears but they only started falling faster. I closed my eyes and started sobbing. Jean didnt do anything for quite a few moments but then he scooted over to me and hugged me tightly and really awkwardly. His social skills werent really getting better. I hugged him back and he let me ruin his shirt with my tears and snot. He just rubbed my back and held me until I managed to start calming down. Then he pulled away from the hug and looked at me. "... Feel better...?" He said, wiping away my tears with his thumb. I felt my face get a bit hot. "Not really..." "God you really should sleep..." Jean said, his face turning pink as he realized what exactly he was doing. "You look so tired..." "I am tired... I just slept for about six hours, though... And I had a bad nightmare... I just want to sit here with you... Is that okay...?" Jean's face turned pinker. "I... Uhh... Y-Yeah. That's fine..." I took Jean feeling bad for me as an excuse to mess with him a little. "Is there something wrong with us being together alone...?" I said, knitting my eyebrows together. He turned pinker. "N-No! No, Marco! Not at all! I just-I wasnt-! Blah!" I smiled a bit. "I'm messing with you." "I hate you..." Jean said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You cant do that when I think you're genuinely upset..." I really wanted to kiss him. Really bad. I couldnt though. "You're too funny." I said. "I'm glad it makes you feel better to see me feel really awkward." He responded. "Oh come on... You always make me feel better no matter what you do..." I said smiling a bit. Jean stared at me for a few moments before saying, "You cant be a real person. You're too fucking nice." I smiled a bit more.

We were quiet for a few moments before I said, "Jean?" He looked at me. "Yeah?" "This might be a random question but... Are you straight?" Jean laughed a bit, really cutely. I smiled. Jean was making me feel a lot better somehow. "I'm not straight." He said honestly. "I'm bi. I'm not really happy about it, though..." I knitted my eyebrows together. "Why not?" "My family, apart from my mother, doesn't like it... They were always happy with me bringing girls home but if I brought a guy home, they wouldn't talk to me until we had broken up..." I sighed a bit. "But you probably wouldn't understand. Your family sounds amazing." "I get it!" I said. He looked at me. "I mean, my family accepts the fact that I'm gay, sure, but... I had a group of guy friends my freshman year of college and... When I came out to them, they all stopped being my friends because they all thought I was interested in them." Jean raised an eyebrow. I agreed with his "those idiots." expression. "I know... I was really upset at losing so many friends at one time." "They didn't deserve to be your fucking friends if they were gonna be dumbasses like that." Woah. I widened my eyes a bit and laughed softly. "Oh really? Say what you feel, Jean." Jean laughed a bit. Oh my GOD I wanted to kiss this man... Maybe I could get away with it...? I had already kissed him on the cheek... But then what if it got really awkward...? Huurrrbngg I was so screwed if I ever lost any control again... "But, Jean." I started again. He looked at me. "Dont be ashamed of being bi, please. Just do what you want as far as that is concerned and be happy with whoever you end up being with." He half smiled. "I know." He said, "I just don't like the part where my family doesn't like it. It sucks." I nodded. "I get it..." We were quiet. "Marco... Can I ask you something...?" Jean suddenly said. "Yeah?" "Do you think anybody would genuinely want to go out with me..? I had a girlfriend for a few years and we broke up this summer. But it destroyed my confidence in my dating abilities." Oh man... He was asking me if somebody would want to go out with him. He was so socially awkward that I, as much as I loved this guy, was even skeptical about how good a boyfriend he would be. I sighed a bit. "Jean... You arent exactly the best as far as your social skills are concerned. But you knew that... But... I'm sure anyone would be lucky to have you, Jean... I think you're absolutely amazing..." Jean turned pink and bit his lower lip, looking away from me. "I love you, man..." "I love you, too... Um... Bro?" Jean laughed and looked at me. "Dork!" I laughed a bit, too. "Dont say the word bro ever again!" I laughed a bit more. "Aw but c'mon!" I exclaimed. He smiled. "Hey..." He said, "You wanna go hang out in the commons building?" I nodded a bit. "Change into something more comfortable than this, Marco. You're so stressed that you didnt even wear your Uggs. Fucking absurd." He grinned and I smiled back. He then stood and I was able to focus on what exactly he was wearing today. Black sweat pants, a white undershirt with a big blue jacket over it, a black scarf, his green beanie with snowflakes on it, red gloves, and black boots. He zipped up the jacket. "I'll meet you there." He said, smiling then heading out and closing the door behind him.

I quickly changed into blue night pants with snowmen on them, a green long sleeved shirt, my brown Uggs, a big brown leather jacket, which I zipped up, white gloves, and my white scarf. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror again. I didn't look as terrible as before. My eyes were bloodshot, and I was back to my somewhat dark olive tanned skin tone. I just had dark circles and no bags, thankfully. I ran a hand through my hair to make it somewhat presentable. Then I grabbed my phone and dorm keys before heading out to the commons building. I got there and when I opened the door, stepping in and taking a chilly breath, I noticed that there was a huge Christmas tree in here, too. The door slammed behind me and I noticed Jean's jacket with the gloves in the pocket and his scarf hung up on the coat rack and his shoes hanging out on the floor right under it. I put my own gloves into my pockets and pulled off my jacket, hanging it up along with my scarf. I then headed over to the area with the chairs and couch and the fireplace had a fire in it. Jean looked over his shoulder at me from the couch. "Hey." He smiled. I smiled back and walked around the couch before sitting down next to him. "Hi." "You dont need to wear shoes in here, you know?" "I know." I said, "It's okay." It was quiet then Jean suddenly grabbed one of my Uggs, "Take off the Uggsss!" He yelled. I laughed. "Hey! Let go! I thought you said you didn't hate them!" Jean laughed. "I did! Take them off though!" He managed to pull off my right Ugg then he went for he left one. "Jean stttopppp!" "No way, man! Where are your fricking socks?!" "You told me to wear something comfortable! Socks aren't comfy to me unless they're fuzzy! And fuzzy socks with Uggs is just overkill!" Jean laughed. "These shoes are overkill alone!" He pulled off my left Ugg and tossed both shoes aside. "Aha! Two points for Jean the bomb!" I laughed more. "Hold the phone!" Jean yelled, grabbing my left foot, causing me to fall onto the couch on my back. "Oof! Jean!" Jean looked at the tattoo on my foot. "When did you get this shit? I thought you only had the wrist one." I smiled a bit. "Thomas gave me the foot one, basically, against my will." Jean nodded. "I meant to tell you I liked the wrist tattoo." He said, half smiling at me. "I think it's nice." I felt my face get hot and I nodded. That half smile always gets me. "Can you let go of my foot now?" Jean laughed. "Nevvaaarr!" I laughed. "Jean! Let go!" I struggled to try and pull my foot away but he gripped onto my ankle with both hands. I knew I was stronger. I just had to try harder. I stopped struggling then I yanked my leg away randomly with all my strength. That got Jean to let go. "Woah!" He yelled, "Wasnt expecting that!" I grinned. I decided that I didnt want to sit up so I remained lying on the couch. We were quiet for a bit when Jean said, "Marco...?" I looked at him. "Yeah?" Jean twisted his nose ring nervously, "Would you ever date anyone like me?" Oh come oonnn! Just ask me out if you want to date me! "Jean. I would, gladly, date someone EXACLTY like you." He turned pink. "Then... Could I ask you something?" I sat up. "Would you help me get Connie and Sasha together?" What? I raised an eyebrow. "Why?" "Because help me." I groaned. "Jeaann. That's not fair. They've been bugging us about getting together this whole time and we dont like it. Now we're supposed to bug them about getting together with eachother? I'm not a hypocrite." Jean groaned louder than I had before, "Maaarrrcccccooooooo! Plllzzz! You dont understand how important this is!" "No, Jean." "How about this? We'll arm wrestle and if I win, you help me." I raised an eyebrow. Really? "Do you really want to do that?" I said. "What? You dont think I could win?" I grabbed his arm and felt his bicep. "No. I dont think you can." He yanked his arm away, his face turning pink. I laughed.

"C'mon!" Jean said, sitting on the floor and putting his elbow on the coffee table. I sighed. "Fine." I went and sat down across from him and put my own elbow on the table, grabbing Jean's hand. "Call it." He said. I smirked. "Okay. One.. Two.. Go!" Jean put up a surprisingly good fight but I beat him in the end. Jean slammed his head on the table when he lost and I laughed, patting his shoulder across the table. "Thumb wrestling contest!" He said, lifting his head back up and holding his hand out to me. I smirked and grabbed his hand. "Ready." Jean said, "Set.. Go!" I immediately pinned his thumb down. He groaned, genuinely dissapointed in himself. "Fine! Rock paper scissors!" He exlclaimed. "Lizard Spock?" I asked. He laughed, "Sure! Go!" "Rock paper scissors lizard Spock!" We both yelled. He put down lizard and I put down rock, crushing his lizard. He groaned, "Best two out of three!" "Fine!" I exclaimed. "Rock paper scissors lizard Spock!" Jean put down Spock and I did scissors. So my scissors were smashed by Spock. "Yes! I won one thing!" I laughed. "Once more, Jean." "Shit." "Rock paper scissors lizard Spock!" I put rock and he put Spock again. My rock was vaporized. "Darn!" "Ahaa! I win! You have to help me!" "No way! I won three times! You one twice!" Jean groaned. "Dammit... You're right... Two more rounds?" I rolled my eyes and grinned, "Fine." "Rock paper scissors lizard Spock!" He put lizard and I put Spock. My Spock was poisoned. I pouted and Jean laughed loudly. "One more, Jean! Now we're tied!" "Right right!" "Rock paper scissors lizard Spock!" I put paper and Jean put scissors. I groaned as my paper was cut. "Noooooo!" Jean laughed. "Yess! You have to help!" I sighed, "Fine whatever. Congrats. You're the best, you idiot." It was quiet for a few moments. "So." Jean said. "Hm?" "Do you have any piercings?" I smirked a bit. Good oppourtunity to flirt a bit. "Maybe." I said. He grinned, "Oh really? Where?" I smirked more and shrugged, "You'll just have to find out." He turned pink. "Is that a come on?" I just shrugged, grinning a bit. I did have a few. I didn't necessarily want them. Thomas gave them to me. I had a bellybutton piercing and a nose piercing. But I never wore a ring in my nose. It never closed up, though. "Can I guess?" He asked me. I shrugged, grinning a bit wider and putting my elbow on the coffee table and resting my chin in my hand. "Stop shrugging and answer me!" He said, grinning. "Gimme a hint!" I chuckled. "Fine. I have two." Jean groaned. "Another hint! Are they on your face?" "One of them is." Jean made a face, turning pink and looking me over. I laughed. "I can tell that your ears aren't pierced. Why get something else on you face pierced when it's so obvious to get your ears pierced?" I shrugged again. He laughed, "Stop that!" "I'll give you another hint. Thomas gave me them." Jean thought for a moment. "Did you ever date Thomas?" I wrinkled my nose and Jean laughed. "I'll take that as a no... I'm gonna guess... Bellybutton." Wow. "What was your thought process." I asked him. I was curious. "Well. When you said that one was on your face, there were four obvious answers for your body so-" "Oh yeah? What were they?" I interrupted him. He turned pink and cleared his throat. "Anyways. So-" "No! Tell me!" I interrupted again. "I'm getting there!" He exclaimed. "So! When you said that Thomas did them, it didn't really narrow it down if you two had dated because that meant that your-ahem-vital regions were a possibility." I laughed and my face got hot. Jean turned dark pink. "Okay! I understand! You dont have to-" "Oh no, Marco! You said I have to!" He interrupted. "You dont have to-" "NIPPLES!" Jean suddenly yelled. I cracked up. "Stop!" He cracked up, too. After a few moments he said, "So it is your bellybutton, right?" I smiled at him. "Yeah. It is."

My phone started ringing with Mehgan Trainer again. Darn... I was feeling so happy. I frowned a bit and Jean stopped smiling when he saw my expression. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and realized that I had, like 30 messages, all pictures. I answered it. "C-Ciao, Mamma..." "Ciao, Marco." She said. "What's up?" "Did you see the pictures?" "I havent yet. I was asleep and I wasnt feeling too well so I actually just looked at my phone for the first time since I woke up. Hang on." I went into the text chat with my mother and looked through a few of the pictures. They were all of the food they were making and the cake that they got which had Jamie's picture on it. I smiled a bit and I didnt feel so upset like I had before, for some reason. I put the phone to my ear again. "It looks like you guys are having a good time." "Oh yes, Marco! We are. How are you doing?" She asked me. "Better. You should have seen me earlier, though." "Yes I thought about how terrible I looked then I thought, 'Oh man. Marky must look even worse.' So that's why I didnt facetime you." I laughed a bit. "Good call." "So what are you doing to celebrate it?" I chuckled. "I'm just talking with Jean and trying to have a good time." She giggled, "How's Jean?" I looked at Jean and he was smirkingg at me. "He's doing fine." "Are you ever going to ask him out Marky?" I turned red, "Mother! I dont know." Jean laughed. "Did she ask you something about us being in a romantic relationship?" He asked me. I nodded. "Put me on speaker!" My mother yelled in my ear. "I want to talk to Jean!" I pulled the phone away as she yelled then I put her on spekaer and set the phone down on the table with a sigh. "There. You're on-" "Jean!" She yelled. Jean laughed. "Yes, ma'am?" He asked, coming around the coffee table and sitting next to me. "How are you? Is Marco being a handful?" Jean was grinning. I smirked. "I'm fine and no. He's not. I can take care of him." I rolled my eyes. "You can take care of him?" "Yes, ma'am." "Wow!" She exclaimed, "First guy he's met besides Thomas who can put up with him!" Jean laughed. I gasped. "That is not true, mother!" "I found out that your son had a bellybutton piercing." Jean said. I gasped. "What? He does? Marco?" She exclaimed. "Jean! I'm gonna beat you up!" I yelled at him. Jean cracked up. "When did you get that?! Marco?!" I sighed. "I got it my junior year of high school..." She gasped. "Marco!" "I'm sorry!" Jean was just laughing. He was so dead. "Marco. Why?" "I'm sorry. But, hey, I had great grades and I was top rank in ROTC my Senior year." She sighed. "Okay. Fine, Marco... It's okay. You're right." I sighed softly. "Good." "Have a good night, mother." "You, too, Marky." "Ti amo." I said. "Ti amo!" Then I hung up and looked at Jean. He laughed. "Now. Before you-" I tackled him and he made a loud sound. "Get off!" He yelled, struggling. I managed to straddle him and I grabbed his wrists. "Gotcha!" I yelled. He was a dark pink color. My face got hot as I realized what I was doing... Jean was below me, unable to move... Could I do it? I studied his face. He was so cute. I heard him gulp and I leaned down to kiss him. He looked at me and was starting to lean up as much as hd could when the door to the commons building crashed open, scaring the Hell out of me. "Oh my GOD!" I yelled, jumping. Jean yelped. Sasha's head poked above the couch. She turned red. "WHAT? What?! Whaaat?!" "What?" Connie said, then he walked over to Sasha. He turned red, too. "HOLY SHIT! IS THIS HAPPENING?!" I stood, extremely embarrassed. "No-! Yes-! I don't know! What?" Jean fumbled to get up, as well. "Are you telling me that you still aren't dating?" Sasha exclaimed, holding the sides of her head and screaming. "What about you two?" I yelled above Sasha's screaming. She went silent and both her and Connie stared at me. "Yeah." Jean said, clearing his throat and crossing his arms, "What about you guys? You should be going out." They both turned red then Connie said, "We are." It was quiet. "Wait what?" I asked. "We've been dating since the middle of Thanksgiving Break." Connie answered. Well that backfired. I sighed. But I was not expecting the reaction that Jean gave after Connie said this. Jean literally screamed and I jumped. "Why the fuck didnt you tell me?!" He yelled, stomping around the couch towards Connie. Connie ram around the opposite side of the couch. "Dude! I was gonna! I just needed some time!" Them they started doing a sort of cat and mouse thing around the couch. "Oh FUCK off! I've been waiting for a while!" Jean yelled. "Dude you still probably wont do it! It doesnt matter!" "Imuna friggin kill you you sonuvabitch!" I grabbed Jean, picking him up. "Calm down!" I exclaimed.

Jean struggled and flailed in my grasp. Sasha had this "what is happening" expression on her face. I agreed with that face. Connie started catching his breath then he made his way back to Sasha. "Stoppit, Jean! Seriously!" I yelled at him. He stopped at that, panting. "What is wrong with you?" "Nothing!" He yelled, "It's Connie's fault!" Connie put his hands up in defense. "What is it?" I said. "Nothing! Just lemme down." I let him down cautiously. He gave Connie this look then went to the coat rack, pulling his jacket on. I grabbed my phone, shoving in my pocket. "I'm sorry." I said to Connie. Connie laughed, "You act like I havent known Jean for years. I should be apologizing to you!" I smiled and went over to the coat rack, grabbing and putting my own jacket on, zipping it up and wrapping my scarf around me. Then I went back and pulled on my Uggs. Jean already had everything on but he was waiting for me. I pulled on my gloves. Jean opened the door and basically stomped out. I rolled my eyes and walked out behind him, closing the door. "Jean. What was that about?" I said, coming up next to him. "Nothing!" He exclaimed. I grabbed his hand and he stopped walking, looking at me. I was actually really worried. "Jean..." He sighed, studying my face and eyes. "Look. You wont be mad, right?" I shook my head. "So.. Connie was bothering me about asking somebody you dont know about something really important but I was too embarassed to ask. So I said that if he asked Sasha out, I would do it. And I started relying on Connie to ask Sasha out so I could have the shove to ask this person the thing but he didnt tell me that he and Sash were dating until now!" I sighed. Idiot. "Jeaann... You're dumb..." "I know, Marco..." We were quiet. "Well now you can ask that person, right..?" I asked. He turned pinker than he already was from the cold and nodded. He sighed and looked at me. "Marco..." "Yeah?" He was quiet for a few moments. Then he put the hand that wasn't being held by mine, on my shoulder. "Are we gonna dance?" I asked, putting my free hand on Jean's waist and smiling. He laughed. "Sure!" So I started swaying with him. He grinned then let me go after a few moments. We headed back to the dorm building and I wondered about who that person Jean had to ask that question to was...


	20. Ten Steps at a Time CH 12 (Jean)

The next day, Pixis talked to us about a new play coming to town at the local theatre. Dammit. More stage painting. I wasnt planning on going so I didnt pay any attention to the times.

I was just hanging out in the commons room with a few people when Marco called me. I answered with a, "What?" "Get your ass down here, horseface." He said. I laughed, "No way! Boring." "Jean plleeaasee..." I sighed. Then I hung up, smirking. My phone rang again. I answered with, "What?!" "JEAN!" He yelled. I laughed. "Please dont leave me alone..." "Armin and Bert should be there." "They are but I want you to be down here..." Dammit he was so perfect. I couldnt resist... "Fine..." I gave in. "Yay! Thank you!" I grumbled, "You're lucky I love you..." Then I hung up and got up, "C'mon, guys. We have that theatre thing to do. It's starting right now." After fifteen minutes of convincing, an almost fist fight between Jaegar and myself, and another fifteen minute trip to the theatre, we were dressed in our coveralls and Reiner opened the door across the theatre opened, Reiner followed by Connie, Mikasa, myself, and a very angry Eren came in. We all jumped up on stage. Marco smiled at me as I walked over to him. "Hey." He said. I sighed. "Hi, Marco." He set his paint roller down. "Thank you for coming!" He held my arms out to me and I hugged him. He was hugging him back when out of fucking nowhere I heard someone yell, "YAAYAAYAA!" Then someone kicked me really hard. Ouch! And Marco and I both fell. Marco yelped as we slid across the tarp a bit. I was so pissed that I didnt even want to react to anyhing to give Eren any glory. But Jesus my fucking back! Eren grabbed the back of my coveralls, pulling me onto my feet. Marco jumped up. "Why did you have to remind us about this shit, horseface?!" Eren yelled, holding onto my collar and shaking me. I punched him across the jaw and Eren let me go immediately. Then Eren did his fucking signature move where he grabbed my arm and put his other hand on my collarbone, then he kicked my leg, causing me to fall flat. I groaned in pain. Shit. I must have had a ton of bruises on my leg in that one spot by now. Mikasa rushed over and grabbed Eren. "Eren! You idiot!" I, stupidly, attempted to stand again but my leg gave out. Suddenly, Shadis yelled, "Are you all okay? I heard a loud noise!" From next to Pixis. We were all silent as Marco helped up. My leg hurt like Hell so I held onto him pretty tightly. "Sasha farted." Mikasa suddenly said. "Wwhhhaaaatttt?!" Sasha yelled. "It's always Sasha..." Shadis said, going backstage with Pixis. "Nooooo! Mikasa whyyy!" Sasha exclaimed. "Who is that guy who was asking us what that noise was?" Marco asked me. "That's Shadis. He's one of the freshman teachers. We all had him when we were newbs at this school." "Are you okay...?" He asked me. "Yeah. I'll be fine. He's done that to me before." I said. "Okay... So I can let go of you?" I half smiled at him, "If you want to." He turned red and let me go. I stood up straight and turned to the set piece Marco was working on. "So. What're we doing?" "We're painting this set peice to look like a hallway. I made a plan." He said, handing me a peice of paper that had a rough sketch, with color, of what I thought it should look like. The fuck. "Holy shit, freckles. You went all out! Cool. This is what we'll do, then." Connie and Sasha came over and looked at the plan. "We'll help, too." Connie said. "By the way." Marco said to us. I looked at him. "No dicks." We all groaned. "But Macckkkooo..." I whined. He smirked. "No." I sighed then we went to get paint rollers.

We were painting the stupid set piece red when Pixis' music had a weird turn of events. You Sexy Thing by Hot Chocolate came on. We all stopped painting. The fuck?! Reiner started laughing then singing along when the first line, "I believe in miracles, where you from? You sexy thang!" Came on. We all laughed. "Why does he have thiisss...?" Marco asked. I was dying of laughter when I had the perfect idea. "We should dance." I said, turning to Marco and putting my paint roller down. i was feeling really energetic, to be honest. "No way, Jean. This is serious bussiness." He said, poking the set piece with his paint roller. I grabbed his paint roller from him and put it down. "Oh come on, you sexay thang!" Marco laughed and turned red. "Stoppit! Im gonna kill you!" I grabbed his hands and we danced until the song was over. "No more, Jean." Marco said as we walked back over. I was grinning and Marco was red. I grabbed my paint roller. "Whatever. I know you'll dance with me again if I ask. You're too nice." He picked up his own paint roller and rolled his eyes. "Sure, Jean." We started painting again. "You sexy thang." I said, then I laughed. "Stop!" Marco exclaimed. "Jean. Are you gonna do the thing?" Connie asked suddenly asked me. I frowned at him. Really? He needed to get over me asking Marco out. "I dont know." "You have to! Now! Go!" "No way, man! You're crazy." "What are you talking about?" Marco asked. "Nothing, Marco." I said, "Dont worry about it. Connie's just being annoying." "Hey!" Connie exclaimed. Marco shrugged, letting it go. "It's true!" I said to Connie. "Jerk." He responded. I wondered what Marco would even be doing for Christmas Break. "Marco." I said. "Huh?" He asked, looking at me. "What're you doing for Christmas break?" Hopefully. He looked at me owlishly before saying, "About that. Jean. Do you want to spend Christmas with me?" What? I stared at him. "Wait. What?" "I'm sorry!" He exclaimed, turning red. "I just thought that you might want to since you asked me about Thanksgiving! I just thought it would be-" "Marco. Relax." I interuppted, laughing a bit. Endearing. "Hell yes I want to go with you!" He sighed with releif. "Thank God..." "Screw my family. Your mom is boss." I said. "If you tell her about anything I wasnt supposed to do during highschool again, it will be worse than last time." He threatened. Was he serious? I just raised an eyebrow. "Marco... I dont mind if it gets worse than that." He turned redder. "W-What?" "Marco we nearly kissed. I dont mind." I said, turning back to the painting. "You didnt mind?" He said. I looked at him. He had his hand over his mouth. "No. I didnt." "W-What? I'm so confused..." I smirked and rolled my eyes. Who was the awkward one who didnt know what was going on at any time now? "Marco. You heard me." Without another word, Marco left to go get more paint. I sighed and just continued painting. "I'm gonna go help him." Connie sais, walking backstage. Maybe I went too far? Suddenly I heard Connie yell, "But he said he wouldnt mind kissing you!" Then I heard a loud clattering. Everyone on stage stopped what they were doing then Marco yelled, "Connie! Stop! Please! I'm just trying to-! Arrrgh!" Everyone, I realized, was now looking at me. "Well go on!" Sasha exclaimed, gesturing to the backstage door. "What about you?" I asked. "Connie can take care of himself. I rolled my eyes. Yeah right. I jogged into the doorway going backstage. "Everything alright?" I asked. "Yes, Jean. It's fine." Marco leaned down and picked up the paint tray. That must have been what was dropped. Then he set it on a table. "I'll just leave you two alone!" Connie exclaimed. "Connie!" Marco growled at him. Woah! That growl! Connie then ran out past me. Stupid Connie. I made his way over to Marco. "What's up with you?" I asked. Marco shook his head. "Nothing. I'm just... Thinking... That's all..." "... You know I love you, right, man?" I said. He nodded, turning red. I stepped closer to him. Maybe I could kiss him? "Jean... You're acting kind of strange." Marco said, interuppting my actions. Dammit. "I dont think I am." I disagreed. "Well you are." He then grabbed the paint tray and walked past me, back onto the stage. I sighed, following him back to the set peice to continue painting.

It was Sunday afternoon and we were all painting. Jaegar had been an idiot the whole time so we were arguing. When I decided that he deserved some gray paint on his face. So I grabbed two handfuls of the gray we were using for the hallway set piece and flung them at Eren. He closed his eyes and spit out paint as the handfuls hit his face. "Jean!" I heard Marco exclaim. I ignored him, laughing but that was short lived because Eren picked up the entire tray, dumping it on my head. What the fuck? Then I heard Reiner yell, "PAINT WAAARRR!" Then we all went insane! I just went for Eren with any paint I could find. He ran up to the second floor of the set and I came up behind me from the other staircase. I threw a ton of green paint at him and he fell the stairs. I laughed but stopped when Mikasa came over and threw blue paint at my face. Then Sasha threw red and green paint at me when I turned around. Seasonally appropriate. Well done, Sasha. It went on for a long while. I got a ton of paint on me and managed to get a ton of paint on a lot of other people. Eventually... We all calmed down... Then I suddenly noticed Marco. My eyes widened as I jumped down off of the second floor of the set and sprinted to the curtain controls where he was lying, unconscious, with red paint splatted down one half of his face. "Shit!" I yelled. Everyone froze, looking over. Then I knelt down in front of Marco. "M-Marco?" I said, shaking his shoulders. "Marco!" I knitted my eyebrows together. Marco opened his eyes a bit. Thank God. "Marco. Are you okay?" He stared at me for a second before blinking and shaking his head then flinching. He groaned in pain, closing his eyes tightly and reaching for his forehead. I grabbed his hand before it got there and knitted my eyebrows together even more. I felt faint myself. "Marco..." I said. Shit. He needed help. So I yelled over my shoulder, "Somebody go get help!" Reiner and Mikasa ran off. "What happened, Marco...?" I felt so stupid. I really should have stopped when he yelled my name... Or I shouldnt have even hit Eren with any paint to begin with. This was my fault. I just hoped Marco didn't have amnesia or some shit. Or a blood clot in his head that he was gonna die from in five hours. I felt like a fucking idiot. If anything, I should have protected him or stayed with him when it was happening. Goddammit... "How did I not notice sooner?" I said, "I mean... You were gone but... God I'm so stupid... Did anyone else see? Someone had to have seen... Somebody must have shoved you..." Then Marco let out a pained and scratchy, "Dont blame yourself..." I sighed a bit in relief. Thank God he could hear me and answer back. He opened his eyes and they went from focused to unfocused a couple of times. Shit he was hurt. He groaned. "Mikasa and Reiner went to get help..." I said. "Can you see me at all?" "Mhm..." He mumbled. "I'm probably covered in paint..." I said, "You didnt get very covered... But you managed to get red paint all down one side of your face..." I looked over my shoulder as Pixis and Shadis jogged over with Reiner and Mikasa trailing behind. I moved to the side, still gripping Marco's hand as the two professors knelt down near Marco. "Okay, Marco." Pixis said, "Let me see." Pixis lifted his head off of the curtain controls, feeling around his scalp, and looking for bumps. "Can you see?" Shadis asked. He nodded slightly. "Is it blurry?" He nodded slightly again. "It's getting better, though..." He mumbled. I smirked a bit at that. Overachiever. "Can you hear me?" "Yeah..." "Okay... You've got quite a bump..." Pixis said. "Are you feeling nauseated?" He shook his head. That was a good sign. "I think... I'm okay..." He said. Hell yes. "We'll figure out who shoved you, okay? I know there arent cameras, but we'll try and figure it out." Shadis said. But Marco shook my head and said, "No no... It's okay... They probably just did it in the craziness of the paint throwing... They probably didnt realize I'd get hurt... I dont want trouble..." Dammit, Marco... Shadis nodded and Pixis said, "Whatever you want, Marco." I squeezed his hand. Idiot. "Jean." Pixis said, looking at me. I straightened up. "Take Marco offstage and have him sit in an audience seat until he feels better." "Alright." I said. Shadis and Pixis moved then I helped him up and led him offstage and into a seat. He groaned, leaning his head back against the back of the seat. I sat next to him, still gripping his hand. "What happened...?" I asked again. "I dont remember..." He responded, I got blinded by paint... I dont remember if I was shoved or if I stumbled into the controls..." He couldnt have been shoved. "Marco. Somebody must have shoved you." He sighed softly. "I dont remember..."

I did not get back to work no matter how many times Pixis yelled at me and Marco said I should get back to work. I refused. And around 45 minutes before the shift was over, Marco still wasnt feeling perfectly better so I decided that maybe we should just go. So everyone wished us a good night and I drove us back to Coirtney. Marco just closed his eyes and relaxed as I drove. He was probably exhausted. When we reached Coirtney, I got out of the car and closed my door, immediately walking around to Marco's side. When he gotout and closed the door behind him, I locked the car and grabbed his hand and helped him to the dorm room. "You hungry?" I asked him as we went into the room. Then I remembered my wallet was in the car and I forgot it. Dammit. Marco shook his head a bit. "Okay... Well..." I said, "You should go shower. I left something in my car. Just... Relax." Then I headed out to the car, opening it and rbabing my wallet from inside just as Ymir's van pulled up and she and Christa got out. I closed the door again and locked he car. Ymir walked over to me. I looked at her, raising an eyebrow. She never talked to me. "Hey." She said. "Hi?" I responded. "I wanted to ask you about what happened to Marco a few days ago." What? I raised an eyebrow, "Care to clarify?" I asked. "When he was all messed up and looked like shit that one day last week." Right. His sister's birthday. "That happened a few days ago... Why are you bringing it up now?" "I havent gotton a chance to talk to you before now." She responded. Christa came up next to her. "What are you talking about?" "Look." I started, "Marco was just having a bad day. That's all. Some home stuff happened." It was silent then I started walking back to the dorm building when Ymir said, "It was his sister, right?" I stopped. "Something about his sister? Her deathiversary or something?" I turned back around. "Her birthday. " I said cautiously. "Oh poor Marco." Christa said, "Is he okay?" "He is now." I said. Then I noticed the shit eating grin on Ymir's face. I glared at her. "What?" I asked. "I was right. He and his family obsess about his sister." "Fuck you!" I yelled. "They do not! They just were celebrating her special day to honor her life! You wouldnt know or understand that kind of loss!" Ymir scowled. "You wouldnt know, either." She said. "You're right. I dont know that kind of loss but I have enough of a heart to understand that he and his family are extremely hurt!" I was so angry that I didnt notice Mikasa's car pulling up or any three of them getting out. "Well maybe they need to learn to get over it." She said. Oh fucking Hell no. I was shocked. Who was this bitch?! "You-! What?! How dare you?!" I got right in that idiot's face. "You bitch! I will fucking end you!" I spat at her. Ymir just took it, blank faced, which pissed me off even more. Then I felt someone pulling me away from her. "Jean stop!" Armin exclaimed. I looked and Eren had me in his grip. Oh Hell no. "Let me go, Jaegar!" But then I noticed that Eren had this expression that said "I might be slightly worried about you calm the fuck down." So I sighed. "Take deep breaths." Armin said. I looked back at Ymir and Mikasa was standing in front of her, talking to her about something. Eren let me go a bit. "What happened?" Armin asked me. "She was spouting shit about how Marco and his family are obsessed with his sister and him being so upset on her birthday last week was just proof." I growled. "Oh... Was that why Marco looked so sick that one day?" "Yes." I hissed. Armin sighed. "Just relax..." He said, putting his hand on my shoulder. I sighed, trying to relax. I took a few deep breaths and managed to relax a bit after a while. "Alright... Eren... You can let go..." Eren let my arms go and I sighed. Then Ymir and Christa walked past us and into the dorm building. Christa made this "Sorry" face at me as she passed. "Jean." Mikasa said, "Are you okay?" I nodded. "Is Marco okay?" She asked. I nodded again. "Yeah. He's alright. Thanks guys. Eren. For once." I said. Eren smirked a bit. I sighed. Then all four of us headed into the dorm building and parted ways as we got to our dorm floors and our rooms. I opened the dorm door and headed into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I was covered in paint. Then I walked back out and Marco was there, on his bed, looking at his phone. He looked up when I walked in. "Oh good. You're out." I said, smiling a bit and grabbing some boxers and sweat pants. Then heading to shower myself. I made sure to get all the paint off and I got dressed. I felt like a complete idiot… I'd forgotten my shirt. But. Maybe it would be better this way. I was beginning to understand that I had a problem… And maybe Marco could see that if I didn't have a shirt on. I looked at the scale and it took all my willpower to ignore it. I ripped my eyes away and went down the hall. I opened up the dorm room door and Marco looked up, turning red. Right. No shirt.

I went over to him and said, "Are you feeling better?" He nodded, biting his bottom lip. I half smiled, "Good." His face got redder. "Jean...?" He asked. "Hm?" I responded. Then he sat up and sighed, grabbing one of my hands. Oh shit. I got hot in the face and stared at him. "Jean... Do you... I really am in lo-" Someone banged on the door suddenly and Reiner boomed, "Marco are you okay?!" From outside. Marco groaned, letting go of my hand and flopping back down onto the bed. I frowned. Fucking dammit. I headed over to the door, opening it. Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie were there. Reiner looked me up and down then yelled, "Put on a shirt, man! Marco doesnt want that shit!" Thanks Reiner… Then they came in and went over to Marco. "Hey, man! You alright?" "Yeah. I'm doing alright." He smiled a bit and sat up. He was so nice. "Marco." Annie suddenly said. He looked at her. "I want to apologize. I'm the one who threw the paint at you, causing you to stumble and hit your head. So, I'm really sorry." What? Wait... What? Are you shitting me?! Stumbled?! Fucking bull! Marco just smiled at her. "It's okay, Annie." No way! I was not gonna let him be so fucking nice about this! "I'm alright." He continued, "I know it was probably just in the heat of the battle so-" "No fucking way!" I interuppted. They all looked at me. "Marco was shoved into those curtain controls! If he stumbled, he must have stumbled pretty damn hard into those controls to pass out and get a bump that big!" "J-Jean. It's okay!" Marco said. "No it's not!" Marco sighed and turned to Annie. "Annie." She looked at him and he smiled at her, "It's okay. I forgive you. Dont mind him." She nodded. "I'm glad you're okay." Then she walked out, Bertholdt and Reiner trailing behind. What the fuck?! I slammed the door behind them then turned to him, glaring. This idiot. "... What?" He asked. "Look. She shoved you! Marco you cant seriously believe that you stumbled, right? You cant be that dumb-" "Jean." He interuppted me, "I know. She shoved me." I stared at him. Why. I walked over to him quickly, "Well then what the fuck, Marco?! I'll hurt that bitch!" He just sighed. "Calm down. You dont understand." "No I dont! She lied!" He suddenly sat up more, grabbing my hands, and pulling me down to sit on his bed. "Listen. Whether it was in the heat of the paint war or whether she was aware of the shove, and whether she lied or not, I hate the idea of dwelling on things I dont find important. And I'm fine, Jean." He smiled at me. Dammit... This guy was amazing... I stared at him. "It's better to forgive." He finished. I sighed. He was so great... "... Are you even real?" I asked. He smirked. "No. This is all a dream. I'm really dead right now." I frowned, "Dont even joke about that. I would literally kill myself." "No you wouldnt." He said, smiling a bit more. "How do you know?" "Because you would know that I wouldnt be okay with you just up and killing yourself. Plus, I think that if I died, you'd become less of an idiot." I laughed. "Thanks, Marco. Your the best." He laughed a bit.

It felt like no time had passed then suddenly Christmas Break was in one day. The Christmas party was tonite at seven, in the commons building. The whole school would be there, as per usual. As it started getting closer to seven, Marco started getting ready. Nerd. "We should be fashionably late, Marco." I said, watching GMM on my phone. "Fashionably late isnt a thing." Marco said. When I looked at him, he was raising an eyebrow. "You just want to be lazy. Besides, nobody can be fashionably anything in these Christmas sweaters, as amazing as they are. Look! My snowman has a 3D nose!" He exclaimed, pinching the snowman nose poking out of the blue christmas sweater he was wearing. It was pretty amazing. And he was so endearing. I smirked at him. "C'mon. That's pretty cool!" He continued. I laughed. "Shut up, you nerd." "You should wear one!" He said, holding a Christmas sweater out that was green and had a gingerbread man on it whose gumdrop buttons were 3D. I yawned and got up. "I have a confession. I already own one and I was planning on wearing it so dont worry." He raised his eyebrows in shock. "Wow. Okay. Wasnt expecting that." "Why?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Because..." He said, smirking and walking over to me. Then he suddenly started flicking the earrings I had in my ear lobes. I smirked and smacked his hand away. "What? Thought I was too hardcore for that?" I asked. "No. I thought that YOU thought you were too hardcore for that." I laughed a bit. "No way! I'm fine with being a nerd every once in a while!" Marco laughed, "Am I a nerd?" "Of course, Marco." He rolled his eyes, grinning. "Thanks." I grinned back, "No problem." I got on my sweater soon enough. It was white with a Christmas tree on it and the ornaments were 3D. We waited until 7:45 to get going to the commons building. Then both of us headed out. The music was always slightly loud but when Marco opened the door to the building, he almost died. I just walked in past him. I waited for Marco to walk in behind me, and close the door then I grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the snack table. "Are you gonna get drunk again?" He asked me over the music. I was not doing that again. Got in so much trouble last time that happened. I half smiled at him and shook my head. He smiled a bit back and we made our way over to the snack table. "Why are we here?" He asked me. "I wanted to talk to Connie and Sasha." As per usual, Sasha was lying on the snack table, eating everything and Connie was apologizing to anyone who wanted anything to eat. "Hey, dude!" I said, heading over to Connie. "Hey!" Connie exclaimed. "What's up? Where's Marco?" What? I looked behind myself. He wasnt there. Weird. I turned back to Connie. "Dunno. Must've headed off. Saw something shiny?" Connie grinned at that and I grinned back. "So. You guys are gonna spend Christmas together?" My face got a bit hot. "Yeah." I responded, "I'm planning on telling him my feelings then." "Thank God." Connie said. I smirked. "Dude!" Connie exclaimed, raising his eyebrows, "Marco was gonna get grabbed by someone. And there's still potential for that at any time when you arent with him." I nodded. I knew that. He was amazing and perfect and sweet as fuck. "Yeah yeah." I said. The music suddenly shut off. "Hello!" The dean, Erwin, suddenly said from the balcony, "I have an announcement to make!" Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up. Then Connie pointed past my shoulder and said to me, "Marco's there!" I locked eyes with him and raised an eyebrow. Dafuq? He looked away. Then the dean started. "As you all know, we always get new students. From all different schools. However, this year, we have a student that has come a long way from his old schhool to be here." Then the dean grabbed Marco's arm and pulled him to the balcony railing. He was so red and it was cute. I grinned. "This is Marco Bodt. He came here for Mattheius University." There was a grumble of appreciation from everyone. "I encourage all of our freshman to be at his level by the time you are a junior." Marco smiled a bit. He deserved that praise. The dude was amazing. Then the dean patted his back. "That is all! Return to your party thing." Then he turned the music back on and put the microphone down. Everyone returned to what they were doing and I saw Marco and the dean head back downstairs. "That was odd." Connie said. I shrugged. "I think Marco deserved it. See ya, Connie. Gonna go talk to the man of the hour." I grinned as I walked towards where I saw Marco go to.

I saw him, eventually, and I walked over to him. "Dude what the Hell was that about?" I asked him. "He just wanted to tell the freshman about me, I suppose. He gave me the information and sign in sheets for a national art competition between colleges and universities here in te U.S." Wait... What? "What?" I raised an eyebrow, "But that's for seniors." "I know. That's what I said." He said. "Wow. That's pretty great, Marco." "I know. I may not do it, though." What?! I spluttered, "Are you stupid!? You have to do it!" He smirked a bit, "Maybe. We'll see." He said. I smirked right the fuck back. "I will make you do it!" I exclaimed. He laughed. "Okay, Jean." It was around nine when we decided to go. I managed to get in a few confrontations and almost a fist fight until Marco pulled him outside. "Jean! Look. You cant fight with everyone you see!" I frowned. "Seriously, Jean." He continued, raising his eyebrows at me. I sighed. "Marco... Can we just go? I'm actually not having a very good time." He nodded. "Yeah. We can go. I'm not having much fun, either. But, seriously, Jean. No fighting." "Marco. Who are you kidding? You know that I'm still gonna fight with people." Then I walked past him. Marco trudged through the snow after me. "We never had a snowball fight." I pointed out. "Maybe we can have one when we come back. It'll still be snowy then, right?" He said. "That's true. It will still be snowy." We made our way back to the dorm building, the music fading from our hearing. When we got to the lobby of the dorm building, everyone was there, as per usual every year. "Hey, guys!" Reiner exclaimed. "Hey." Marco said. "What're you all doing here?" "None of us hang out at that annual party for long." I explained. "It's never really that fun." "Hey guys! Guess what?" Sasha exclaimed, bouncing over to us. "I have a present for you." Marco smiled, "Really?" Yeah right. I wasnt convinced. "Yeah!" Sasha exclaimed, shoving mistletoe in our faces. I was actually wanting to kiss him but I couldnt do it. I was too embarassed to... So I literally karate chopped the mistletoe out of Sasha's hand. "No! I refuse! I didnt see anything!" I yelled. Then I ran into the lobby bathroom. Thing is, I actually did have to go to the restroom. So that's what I did. It was just a coincidence that I ran into the bathroom. Perfect! Then I washed my hands and when I came out, everyone stared at me. "... What?" I said. "Dont stare at me. That's weird." Then I went over to the couch and sat down. Marco came and sat down next to me. Then Sasha ran over, putting the mistletoe over our heads. I groaned. I couldnt do it. "Sasha..." "Oh come on!" Sasha exclaimed, "We all know you want to kiss this man!" She then ruffled Marco's hair. He smirked. Eren came over and took the mistletoe. "Oh come on, Sasha. Jean doesnt deserve to kiss someone as awesome as Marco. Plus, he's too chicken to do it." Oh fucking Hell no. My actions took over as I grabbed Marco's shoulders roughly. "Now hang on a second, Jea-" I cut him off by pressing my lips against his really hard. My face got really hot and Marco eventually pushed me away. "Jean!" Marco exclaimed. He was really red. I glared at Eren who was staring at us with wide eyes. So satisfying. Then everybody started cheering loudly. Then Marco suddenly got up and everyone stopped laughing and cheering. He looked horrified and took the steps two at a time to get to our dorm room. Eren yelled, "Good job, horseface! Look what you did!" What?! "You're the one who was taunting me, Jaegar!" I exclaimed. "Well Marco didnt deserve that! You just proved my point!" Dammit... He was right... "Well you're an idiot." Was my incredible response. As Eren was about to respond, Mikasa suddenly slapped him and flicked his nose. I laughed but that was short lived because she came over to me next, punching my mouth and slapping me and giving me a cut on my cheek by accident as she slapped me. Of course she was worse to me. I took it like a man. Then the guilt started stting in. I shouldnt have kissed Marco like that...

I went upstairs and went to the dorm room, opening the door. Marco was sitting on his bed and when he saw me, he sighed, putting his phone in his pocket. "Jean..." He said, heading into the bathroom to grab the first aid kit. I knew what to do. So I headed to my own bed and sat down. Marco came back in, dragging the stool from the bathroom which he set down in front of me then sat in. He opened the first aid kit and pulled out the disinfecting medical wipes which hurt like a fucking biiiiitttcchh. Marco sighed as he cleaned. Dammit. His breath smelled good. Not gonna lie. It was minty. It made sense. This dude flossed every time he ate and had, like, two mints after flossing. Like strong mints. Burn your tongue off strong mints. "Jean... You cant keep doing these things. My parents wont be impressed by your busted lip and this will not give them a good first impression." "Sorry, Marco..." I mumbled. "Apologize to my parents. Not me." "No..." I continued, "I'm sorry for kissing you like that... I really wanted to kiss you but..." I looked away, "I was too embarassed to do it in front of our friends so... When Eren said I couldnt do it, proving that I could was the perfect excuse..." "Jean..." He said. "Why are you so obsessed with kissing me?" I love you. But I didnt say that. I just shrugged, looking at him and saying, "I dont know. You're an attractive guy. I just want to." He turned red. "Well. Can I have a proper kiss, then?" He asked me. Holy shit... I half smiled, "Of course. But you have to get closer." I said. Oh man... What the Hell was I doing? Marco, to my surprise, scooted closer to me. Shit... I put my hand on Marco's jaw and leaned forwards. I was stupid. I pressed my lips against his and let my eyes close. Ow. I felt a random pain in my lip. Then I remembered my busted lip. Well, that was my own fault. I felt Marco's hands press down on the bed on either side of me and he leaned more into the kiss. I wasnt ready, to be honest. So I pulled away and opened my eyes. My face was so hot. Marco's eyes fluttered open. We were really close. Dammit, he had nice eyelashes. And his eyes were such a nice brown. I have a thing for brown eyes... Did I ever mention that? "That kinda hurt..." I said, smiling a bit. He smirked, "Gee. I wonder why. Mr. Busted lip." I smirked back. Then he kissed me again. Just for a second. But it was enough to make my face get hotter. Dammit... Then he slid his thumbs into the belt loops of my jeans, unexpectedly. My face got hotter, yet again. Fucking ridiculous. I had to ask him out now. I know I'd decided to do it during break but... "Marco..." I said, "Have you ever dated anyone before?" "Yeah... I've dated a few people..." He responded, "But not for long..." I nodded a bit, biting my lower lip. Then immediately letting it go because fucking ow. "So..." I continued, "What would you say if I asked you if you wanted to-" Someone knocked on the door and I growled. Marco just smirked a bit and stood, pulling his thumbs out of my belt loops. Him having to do that made me even angrier at whoever was knocking. He went and opened the door and it was Armin. "Hey." He said, "I just wanted to apologize for-... Am I interuppting something?" Marco was flushed as Hell and I knew that I was, too. "Yes!" I exclaimed. "Jean." Marco said, sighing. "It's fine, Armin. What is it?" "I wanted to apologize on behalf of Mikasa." Armin said to me, "She just was kind of done with you two arguing so that's why she attacked you guys. She didnt hurt you too bad right, Jean? You're okay?" "No! Im not okay! I was trying to tell Marco something!" I exclaimed. "He's fine. Dont worry, Armin." Marco said. Armin sighed in relief, "Okay. Thank you! I didnt mean to interrupt anything. So I'm sorry for that, too." "It's okay, Armin." Marco said. Stupid idiot kind amazing motherfucker. Marco started to close the door and he said, "Good night." "Good night, guys." Armin responded. Then he left and Marco closed the door all the way. I was fucking pissed. I didnt want that moment to end. "Jean. You need to relax." He said, grabbing the stool and closing the first aid kit, taking both into the bathroom. I lied down on my bed. When Marco cane out, he walked over to me. "Jean. What were you going to ask me?" He said. Dammit. I glanced at him, sighing, "Nervermind." He sat down on the bed. "Jean. Come on." He said, shaking my shoulder softly. "Please tell me." I pushed his hand away, sitting up. "Look. If I tell you, somebody's just gonna interuppt us, again. I'll tell you during the break, okay?" Marco sighed. "Just tell me now." "No." I said. He groaned.


	21. Ten Steps at a Time CH 12 (Marco)

The next day Pixis was telling us about some set pieces at a local theatre that needed to be painted and designed. We were required to go and help. The first two sessions were the next day from ten to one and from three to eight. We only had Hanji's class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from ten to twelve. And Pixis' class was from seven to nine everyday. Then the afternoon class was from four to seven on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. We each got a pair of coveralls. And were expected to be there the next day.

I got to the theatre and the only people who were there were Pixis, obviously, Armin, Bertholdt, Annie, Christa, and Ymir(who was dragged along). And me. As we were starting to paint, I called Jean. He left class early and wasnt in the dorm when I got there so I assumed he was already here but he wasnt. Jean answered with a, "What?" "Get your ass down here, horseface." I said. He laughed, "No way! Boring." "Jean plleeaasee..." I heard him sigh then go silent. Then I heard a boop boop. He hung up! I gasped a bit and called him again, offended. He answered with, "What?!" "JEAN!" Jean laughed. "Please dont leave me alone..." "Armin and Bert should be there." "They are but I want you to be down here..." Jean was silent then he said, "Fine..." "Yay! Thank you!" Jean grumbled something that sounded like, "You're lucky I love you..." But he hung up before I could ask him what exactly he said. I turned and Ymir was right there. I jumped and yelped, genuinely horrified, putting a hand on my chest. "You scared me!" "Did you just get Jean to come down here?" "Y-Yes. Why?" Ymir made a face, "Because he's gonna force everyone else to come." "That's good then!" I exclaimed. "No it's not! None of them ever work! They all just dance around to Pixis' music he has playing and paint dicks everywhere." I smirked. "I'm sure they wouldnt leave the dicks." "They would. It happened last performance when we were asked to paint a set. Reiner and Jean painted dicks on the entire back of a set peice that was meant to be a prison wall and it showed up on opening night like that. We had to come to the theatre that night and fix it and guess who didnt show up? Jean and Reiner." "Well I'm here now." I said. "So don't worry." Ymir sighed and shrugged, then headed back to her station with Christa. I was the only person that Pixis assigned to a certain important set peice. I dont know why he trusted that I'd get it done... It was a big hallway piece that stretched all the way across the stage and showed up multiple times during the production. I sighed as I started to paint it. After around thirty minutes of painting this thing a deep red color, the door across the theatre opened and Reiner came in followed by Connie, Sasha, Jean, Mikasa, and Eren. Eren looked extremely displeased. They were all wearing their coveralls and they jumped up on stage. I smiled at Jean as he walked over to me. "Hey." I said. He sighed. "Hi, Marco." I set my paint roller down. "Thank you for coming!" I held my arms out to him. He hugged me and I hugged him back. Suddenly I heard someone yell, "YAYAYAYAYA!" Then Jean was shoved into me with a loud and pained sound and we both fell. I yelped as I slid across the tarp a bit with Jean on me. Eren grabbed the back of Jean's coveralls, pulling him onto his feet. I barely had any time to recover before I realized what was happening and jumped up. "Why did you have to remind us about this shit, horseface?!" Eren yelled, holding onto Jean's collar and shaking him. Jean punched Eren across the jaw and Eren let him go immediately. Then Eren did something I'd never seen. He did this move where he grabbed Jean's arm and put his other hand on Jean's collarbone, then he kicked Jean's leg, causing him to fall flat. Mikasa rushed over and grabbed Eren. "Eren! You idiot!" Jean did not deserve that... Jean attempted to stand but his leg gave out again. I felt really territorial at that moment and I was about to give Eren the what for when a man I had never seen before said, "Are you all okay? I heard a loud noise!" From next to Pixis. We were all silent as I helped Jean up. Jean must've been in a lot of pain from that kick because he held onto me pretty tightly. "Sasha farted." Mikasa suddenly said. "Whaaaaaaat?!" Sasha yelled. "It's always Sasha..." The man said, going backstage with Pixis. "Nooooo! Mikasa whyyy!" Sasha exclaimed. "Who is that guy who was asking us what that noise was?" I asked Jean. "That's Shadis. He's one of the freshman teachers. We all had him when we were newbs at this school." I was worried about his leg. "Are you okay...?" I asked him. "Yeah. I'll be fine. He's done that to me before." "Okay... So I can let go of you?" Jean half smiled at me, "If you want to." I felt my face get hot and I let him go. He stood up straight and turned to the set piece I was working on. "So. What're we doing?" "We're painting this set peice to look like a hallway. I made a plan." I said, handing him a peice of paper that had a rough sketch, with color, of what I thought it should look like. "Holy shit, freckles. You went all out! Cool. This is what we'll do, then." Connie and Sasha came over and looked at the plan. "We'll help, too." Connie said. "By the way." I said to all of them. They looked at me. "No dicks." They all groaned. "But Macckkkooo..." Jean whined. I smirked. "No." He sighed then the three of them went to get paint rollers.

We were about halfway through painting the set peice red when the song You Sexy Thing by Hot Chocolate came on. We all stopped because... This was Pixis' music. Reiner started laughing then singing along when the first line, "I believe in miracles, where you from? You sexy thang!" Came on. We all laughed. I turned red. "Why does he have thiisss...?" I asked. Jean was cracking up then he turned to me. "We should dance." He put his paint roller down. "No way, Jean. This is serious bussiness." I poked the set piece with my paint roller. Jean grabbed my paint roller and put it down. Then he said, "Oh come on, you sexay thang!" I laughed. "Stoppit! Im gonna kill you!" Jean grabbed my hands and I caught a glimpse of Connie and Sasha. They had these, "Really?" faces on. I humoured Jean and danced with him until the song ended. Then I went back to the set peice, smiling, and probably very red. "No more, Jean." Jean walked back over, grinning, and he was pink. He grabbed his paint roller. "Whatever. I know you'll dance with me again if I ask. You're too nice." I picked up my own paint roller and rolled my eyes. "Sure, Jean." We started painting again. "You sexy thang." Jean said, then he laughed. "Stop!" I exclaimed. But I was really amused. "Jean. Are you gonna do the thing?" Connie asked him. Jean frowned at him. "I dont know." "You have to! Now! Go!" "No way, man! You're crazy." "What are you talking about?" I asked. "Nothing, Marco." Jean said, "Dont worry about it. Connie's just being annoying." "Hey!" Connie exclaimed. I shrugged, tuning them out. I started thinking that I really needed to ask Jean out. I would ask him to come home with me over the Christmas break, for sure. I would ask later on nearer to that time. "Marco." Jean said, pulling me put pf my thoughts. "Huh?" I asked, looking at him. "What're you doing for Christmas break?" Hopefully. You... Maybe I'd ask now if he wanted to come home with me. "About that. Jean. Do you want to spend Christmas with me?" He stared at me. "Wait. What?" "I'm sorry!" I exclaimed. "I just thought that you might want to since you asked me about Thanksgiving! I just thought it would be-" "Marco. Relax." He laughed a bit. "Hell yes I want to go with you!" I sighed with relief. "Thank God..." "Screw my family. Your mom is boss." "If you tell her about anything I wasn't supposed to do during highschool again, it will be worse than last time." Jean raised an eyebrow. "Marco... I don't mind if it gets worse than that." I turned red. "W-What?" "Marco we nearly kissed. I don't mind." He said, turning back to his painting but going dark pink. I put a hand over my mouth... He didn't mind? I felt my face get even hotter. "You didn't mind?" He looked at me. "No. I didnt." "W-What? I'm so confused..." He smirked and rolled his eyes. "Marco. You heard me." I was so confused... I took the paint almost being gone as an excuse to leave and go get more. I was filling up the tray when Connie came in. "So." He said. "You gonna ask him out now?" I was still feeling really flushed. "Leave me alone, Connie. I don't know." "But he said he wouldn't mind kissing you!" He suddenly yelled. I jumped a bit, dropping the paint tray. "Connie! Stop! Please! I'm just trying to-! Arrrgh!" Connie backed up. I sighed. "I'm sorry, Connie. I'm just not in the mood right now." Jean jogged into the doorway. "Everything alright?" I sighed. "Yes, Jean. It's fine." I picked up the tray and set it on a table. "I'll just leave you two alone!" Connie exclaimed. "Connie!" I growled at him. He ran out past Jean. Jean made his way over to me. "What's up with you?" He asked. I shook my head. "Nothing. I'm just... Thinking... That's all..." "... You know I love you, right, man?" He said. I nodded, feeling my face get hot. Jean stepped closer to me. "Jean... You're acting kind of strange." "I dont think I am." He disagreed. "Well you are." I grabbed the paint tray and walked past him, back onto the stage. Jean followed me back to the set peice and we continued painting.

It was Sunday afternoon. It was four. We were all painting. When someone threw paint. Eren and Jean had been bickering the whole time and I was just tuning them out until Jean grabbed two hands full of the grey paint we were using and flung them at Eren. They hit him right in the face and he closed his eyes, spitting out paint. I gasped. "Jean!" Eren grabbed the grey paint tray and dumped it on Jean. "PAINT WAAARRR!" Reiner yelled, throwing green paint at Annie. She immediately flung paint back. Then everyone went insane, tossing paint everwhere. I got hit by one or two handfuls of paint. But only on my coveralls, thank goodness. I managed to hit some people but the paint was getting all over the set and I did not approve! Armin appeared not to approve, as well. He was guarding his set piece with his body. I saw Connie literally jump onto Reiner from the top of the set with a scream and Eren fell down a few steps on the set stairs. I slowly backed up nearer to backstage as the war continued. I coulnt tell who anyone was, anymore. There was paint all over everything. On the floor, the set, everyone, and everything! Suddenly, I saw a flash of blonde hair with green and blue paint coming for me out of the corner of my eye and I didnt have time to react as I was blinded by red paint and shoved into the mechanisms for the curtains. My head hit something extremely hard and metal and I felt myself fall as I drifted out of consciousness, slowly losing the sounds ofthe paint war. See. This is what happens. It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt! It felt like I was out for a long time before I heard Jean saying from far away, "M-Marco?" "Marco!" And I felt hands on my shoulders, shaking me. I saw light coming back to me and when I opened my eyes, it was blurry. I felt dizzy and my head was throbbing. "Marco. Are you okay?" Jean's voice sounded far away. I managed to focus for a few seconds on Jean before it became blurry again. He was covered in all kinds of different colored paint. I blinked and shook my head, flinching when the throbbing got worse. I groaned in pain, closing my eyes tightly and reaching for my forehead. Jean grabbed my hand before it got there, though. "Marco..." I heard him say. Then I heard him yell behind himself, "Somebody go get help!" I heard quick footsteps in the distance but Jean stayed holding onto my hand. "What happened, Marco...?" I couldnt remember... Somebody shoved me...? Or maybe I was hit with paint and stumbled...? "How did I not notice? I mean... You were gone but... God I'm so stupid... Did anyone else see? Someone had to have seen... Somebody must have shoved you..." It wasnt Jean's fault that I got hurt... I opened my mouth to speak and managed a pained and far away sounding, "Dont blame yourself..." Jean sighed a bit. I heard ringing in my ears and thought that maybe I would try to open my eyes again. When I did, it was less blurry, but my head felt terrible. Jean was staring at me, with an extremely worried expression on his face. I could only focus on him. Everything behind him was completely blurry. I managed a groan. "Mikasa and Reiner went to get help..." He said. "Can you see me at all?" I managed a, "Mhm..." "I'm probably covered in paint... You didnt get very covered... But you managed to get red paint all down one side of your face..." Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching and Jean looked over his shoulder then moved to the side, still gripping my hand as Pixis and that Shadis teacher came into view. "Okay, Marco." Pixis said, "Let me see." Pixis lifted my head off of whatever it was leaning on and felt around my scalp, looking for bumps, I supposed. "Can you see?" Shadis asked me. I managed a slight nod. "Is it blurry?" I nodded slightly again. But I could see a lot clearer than before. "It's getting better, though..." I mumbled. "Can you hear me?" "Yeah..." "Okay... You've got quite a bump..." Pixis said. "Are you feeling nauseated?" I shook my head. I was feeling less and less dizzy. "I think... I'm okay..." I said. Nobody sounded like they were underwater anymore. "We'll figure out who shoved you, okay? I know there aren't cameras, but we'll try and figure it out." Shadis said. I shook my head. "No no... It's okay... They probably just did it in the craziness of the paint throwing... They probably didn't realize I'd get hurt... I dont want trouble..." Shadis nodded and Pixis said, "Whatever you want, Marco." I felt Jean squeeze my hand. "Jean." Pixis said, looking over at him, "Take Marco offstage and have him sit in an audience seat until he feels better." "Alright." Jean said. Shadis and Pixis moved out of my view and Jean came into it, still looking very worried, then helped me up and led me offstage and into a seat. I groaned, leaning my head back against the back of the seat. Jean sat next to me, still gripping my hand. "What happened...?" He asked me. "I don't remember... I got blinded by paint... I don't remember if I was shoved or if I stumbled into the controls..." "Marco. Somebody must have shoved you." I sighed softly. "I dont remember..."

It was a little while until I felt any better and people came to make sure I was alright. No matter how many times Pixis yelled at Jean to get back to work, he stayed sitting next to me holding my hand. I didn't mind the hand holding. When it was around 45 minutes until the end of the shift, I was still feeling a bit dizzy so Jean decided to take me back to Coirtney and everyone wished me a good night. I was too exhausted to care about the stress of the car. When we got back to Coirtney, I could pretty much walk on my own. Jean still helped me, through, lacing his fingers with mine. He helped me to our dorm. "You hungry?" He asked me. I shook my head a bit. "Okay... Well... You should go shower. I left something in my car. Just... Relax." I nodded. Then Jean let my hand go and headed out. I sighed and took off my jacket, scarf, shoes, and gloves, then taking my phone out of my pocket and setting it on the side table. I made my way to the shower area down the hall, grabbing a towel. I looked in the mirror and, as Jean said, I managed to get red paint down one side of my face. I smirked a bit as I got into the shower, making sure to get the paint washed off. I was in there for a while, trying to remember what happened. In the end, though, I couldn't recall who it was but I did decide that there's no way I could have stumbled because I fell very hard. Somebody had to have shoved me in order for me to have fallen so hard as to pass out and be dizzy. When I was done, I wrapped the towel around my waist and grabbed the clothes I had taken off. Then I made my way back to the dorm, opening the door. Jean was there but he was, thankfully, in the bathroom. So I quickly put on a pair of underwear, my blue night pants and a grey t-shirt then I put my dirty clothes and towel in my hamper. I also set my coveralls down on my desk. I got into bed, grabbing my cell phone. Jean came out of the bathroom, then, carrying out his coveralls and wearing his jeans and black t-shirt. His face and hair still covered in paint. "Oh. Good. You're out." He smiled at me and I smiled back. He set his coveralls down on his bed and grabbed some clothes. Leaving the room to take a shower, I assumed. I was correct in my guessing. Considering when he came back, his hair was wet. I looked up from my phone when he came in. He was paint free and had sweat pants on. But no shirt. I felt my face get hot. He dried his hair with the towel before tossing it and his clothes from that day into his clothes hamper. I knew he wasnt a bulky guy so how slim he was was no surprise but I wasnt expecting the no shirt thing.

Jean came over to me. "Are you feeling better?" I nodded, biting my lip. He needed to put a shirt on. I couldnt handle this. Jean half smiled, "Good." Screw this guy! I felt my face get hotter. I wish I could screw him... I needed to ask him out. Now! "Jean...?" I asked. "Hm?" He responded. I sat up and sighed, grabbing one of his hands. He turned a bit pink and stared at me. "Jean... Do you... I really am in lo-" Someone banged on the door suddenly and Reiner boomed, "Marco are you okay?!" From outside. I groaned, letting go of Jean's hand and flopping back down onto the bed. Jean frowned and headed over to the door, opening it. I heard Reiner yell, "Put on a shirt, man! Marco doesnt want that shit!" Then he came in and came over to me followed by Annie and Bertholdt. "Hey, man! You alright?" "Yeah. I'm doing alright." I smiled a bit and sat up. "Marco." Annie suddenly said. I looked at her. "I want to apologize. I'm the one who threw the paint at you, causing you to stumble and hit your head. So, I'm really sorry." I blinked a bit, processing what she had said. Then I realized. Oh! She threw the paint. I stumbled? No... That's not right... I couldnt have fallen so hard as to pass out. I smiled at her. "It's okay, Annie. I'm alright. I know it was probably just in the heat of the battle so-" "No fucking way!" Jean suddenly exclaimed. We all looked at him. "Marco was shoved into those curtain controls! If he stumbled, he must have stumbled pretty damn hard into those controls to pass out and get a bump that big!" "J-Jean. It's okay!" I said. "No it's not!" I sighed. "Annie." She looked at me and I smiled, "It's okay. I forgive you. Dont mind him." She nodded. "I'm glad you're okay." Then she walked out, Bertholdt and Reiner trailing behind. Jean slammed the door behind them then turned to me, glaring. "... What?" I asked. "Look. She shoved you! Marco you cant seriously believe that you stumbled, right? You cant be that dumb-" "Jean." I interupted, "I know. She shoved me." Jean stared at me before walking over to me quickly, "Well then what the fuck, Marco?! I'll hurt that bitch!" I sighed. "Calm down. You don't understand." "No I dont! She lied!" I sat up more, grabbed Jean's hands, pulling him down to sit on the bed. "Listen. Whether it was in the heat of the paint war or whether she was aware of the shove, and whether she lied or not, I hate the idea of dwelling on things I don't find important. And I'm fine, Jean." I smiled at him. He just kept staring at me, "It's better to forgive." I finished. Jean sighed. "... Are you even real?" He asked. I smirked. "No. This is all a dream. I'm really dead right now." Jean frowned, "Don't even joke about that. I would literally kill myself." "No you wouldn't." I said, smiling a bit more. "How do you know?" "Because you would know that I wouldn't be okay with you just up and killing yourself. Plus, I think that if I died, you'd become less of an idiot." Jean laughed. "Thanks, Marco. You're the best." I laughed a bit.

It was weeks later and Christmas Break was in one day. The Christmas party was this evening at seven, in the commons building. The whole school was invited so it definately would be a good oppourtunity to make some more friends. As it started getting closer to seven, I started getting ready. "We should be fashionably late, Marco." Jean said, watching something on his phone. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Fashionably late isnt a thing. You just want to be lazy. Besides, nobody can be fashionably anything in these Christmas sweaters, as amazing as they are. Look! My snowman has a 3D nose!" I exclaimed, pinching the snowman nose poking out of my blue christmas sweater. Jean smirked at me. "C'mon. That's pretty cool!" I continued. Jean laughed. "Shut up, you nerd." "You should wear one!" I said, holding a Christmas sweater out that was green and had a gingerbread man on it whose gumdrop buttons were 3D. Jean yawned and got up. "I have a confession. I already own one and I was planning on wearing it so dont worry." What? Really? "Wow. Okay. Wasnt expecting that." I said. "Why?" Jean asked, raising an eyebrow at me. "Because..." I said, smirking and walking over him then flicking the earrings he has in his ear lobes. He smirked and smacked my hand away. "What? Thought I was too hardcore for that?" He asked. "No. I thought that _you_ thought you were too hardcore for that." He laughed a bit. "No way! I'm fine with being a nerd every once in a while!" I laughed, "Am I a nerd?" "Of course, Marco." I rolled my eyes, grinning. "Thanks." He grinned back, "No problem." Jean got his sweater on soon enough. It was white with a Christmas tree on it and the ornaments were 3D. I was really glad that he could be so nerdy with me! To be nice, I waited with him until 7:45 to get going to the commons building. Then both of us headed out. We could hear the music coming from the commons building quite a ways away and when I opened the door to the building, my ears almost died. Jean didnt seem affected as he walked in past me. I walked in behind him, closing the door behind me. Jean grabbed my arm and led me through the crowd. "Are you gonna get drunk again?" I asked him over the music. He half smiled at me and shook his head. I smiled a bit back and we made our way over to the snack table. "Why are we here?" I asked him. "I wanted to talk to Connie and Sasha." Then I realized. Sasha was basically lying on the snack table, eating everything in sight and Connie was apologizing to anyone who wanted anything to eat. "Hey, dude!" Jean said, heading over to Connie. I figured that I'd let them talk and I headed away to explore. I approached an area that wasnt so loud. I suddenly felt someone grab the back of my sweater and I turned to find the dean, Erwin, standing right there. "Marco Bodt! I've been meaning to meet you! I'm Erwin, dean of Coirtney!" He held his hand out to me and I smiled a bit nervously, shaking his hand. "I know who you are, sir." "Oh please. Call me Erwin. Come on. I want to introduce you to the school. Some of our freshman dont exactly understand what a great artist you are and that where you came from is an extremely hard school to be accepted to." Oh man... I didnt want attention. But I couldnt disagree with this man. So I nodded, still feeling really nervous. Then we headed up the stairs and over to the balcony on the second floor looking out over the first floor. The balcony was also where the source of music was coming from. Erwin turned it off. Now I felt really nervous. Erwin grabbed the microphone and made sure it was on before saying into it, "Hello! I have an announcement to make!" Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up. I saw Jean and Connie looking over then Connie saw me and pointed at me, saying something to Jean. Jean and I locked eyes and he raised an eyebrow. I looked away. Then Erwin started. "As you all know, we always get new students. From all different schools. However, this year, we have a student that has come a long way from his old school to be here." Then Erwin grabbed my arm and pulled me to the balcony railing. I felt like I was about to die. "This is Marco Bodt. He came here for Mattheius University." There was a grumble of appreciation from everyone. "I encourage all of our freshman to be at his level by the time you are a junior." My face was definitely red. I sighed softly, smiling a bit. Then Erwin patted my back. "That is all! Return to your party thing." Then he turned the music back on and put the microphone down. Everyone returned to what they were doing and Erwin led me back downstairs. "So," He started, turning to me, "What made you want to switch schools?" "Oh. Yes. I've always liked smaller schools better. The professors can help more than at large school like Mattheius. And I needed guidance with my technique. Mattheius couldn't provide that." Erwin nodded. "Very smart. I've seen your work and I would like you to sign up for the schools' competition against the other colleges and universities in the country." "But... That's a competition for the seniors..." "I know it is. Here." Then he opened his messenger bag and pulled out a folder, opening it and pulling out a packet of paper then handing it to me. "This has all the information and sign up sheets for the competition. Just turn this in when you come back from Christmas break and then you'll be in." "T-Thank you, sir!" I exclaimed, smiling and folding up the papers then putting them in my pocket. Erwin smiled and patted my shoulder before heading away, closing his messenger bag as he went.

Jean came over to me. "Dude what the Hell was that about?" He asked me. "He just wanted to tell the freshman about me, I suppose. He gave me the information and sign in sheets for a national art competition between colleges and universities here in te U.S." "What?" Jean raised an eyebrow, "But that's for seniors." "I know. That's what I said." I told Jean. "Wow. That's pretty great, Marco." "I know. I may not do it, though." Jean spluttered, "Are you stupid!? You have to do it!" I smirked a bit, "Maybe. We'll see." I said. He smirked back, "I will make you do it!" He exclaimed. I laughed. "Okay, Jean." It was around nine when Jean and I decided that we werent having the best time. I barely even got to speak to anyone and the music was really loud. And Jean managed to get in a few confrontations and almost a fist fight until I pulled him outside. "Jean! Look. You cant fight with everyone you see!" Jean frowned at me. "Seriously, Jean." I continued, raising my eyebrows at him. Jean sighed. "Marco... Can we just go? I'm actually not having a very good time." I nodded. "Yeah. We can go. I'm not having much fun, either. But, seriously, Jean. No fighting." "Marco. Who are you kidding? You know that I'm still gonna fight with people." Then he walked past me. I smirked, trudging through the snow after him. "We never had a snowball fight." Jean pointed out. I smiled, "Maybe we can have one when we come back. It'll still be snowy then, right?" "That's true." He said, "It will still be snowy." We made out way back to the dorm building, the music fading from our hearing. When we got to the lobby of the dorm building, we found that the entire squad was there. Connie, Sasha, Mikasa, Eren, Armin, Ymir. Everybody was there. "Hey, guys!" Reiner exclaimed. "Hey." I said. "What're you all doing here?" "None of us hang out at that annual party for long." Jean said. "It's never really that fun." "Hey guys! Guess what?" Sasha exclaimed, bouncing over to us. "I have a present for you." I smiled, "Really?" Jean didn't look convinced. "Yeah!" Sasha exclaimed, shoving mistletoe in our faces. Jean literally karate chopped the mistletoe out of Sasha's hand. "No! I refuse! I didn't see anything!" Then he ran into the lobby bathroom. I laughed. Sasha laughed, too. "Sorry, Marco. I guess you aren't getting a kiss." My face got hot and I smiled and shrugged, "That's alright." "Oh I'm sure you guys are gonna kiss at some point this evening!" Reiner exclaimed. I felt my face get even hotter. "And we'll make it happen if you dont do it on your own." "You dont have to-" "We will!" Sasha suddenly exclaimed. I smirked. Jean came out of the bathroom then and everyone looked at him. "... What?" He said. "Dont stare at me. That's weird." He then went over to the couch and sat down. I smirked and walked over, sitting down next to him. Then Sasha ran over, putting the mistletoe over our heads. Jean groaned, "Sasha..." "Oh come on!" Sasha exclaimed, "We all know you want to kiss this man!" She then ruffled my hair. I smirked. Eren came over and took the mistletoe. "Oh come on, Sasha. Jean doesn't deserve to kiss someone as awesome as Marco. Plus, he's too chicken to do it." Oh crap. Jean grabbed my shoulders roughly. "Now hang on a second, Jea-" I was cut off by Jean's lips pressing against mine really hard. I hated that he had to have something to prove in order to do this. My face got really hot and I pushed Jean away after I composed myself. "Jean!" I exclaimed. He was really pink and he glared at Eren who was staring at us with wide eyes. Then everybody started cheering loudly. Oh my God I was literally dying of embarrassment! I had to get out of there! Jean was an idiot! I got up and everyone stopped laughing when they saw me. I dont know what expression I had on my face but I got out of there! I took the steps two at a time to get to the floor with mine and Jean's dorm room on it. I heard from behind me, "Good job, horseface! Look what you did!" Then, "You're the one who was taunting me, Jaegar!" I sighed and made my way to the dorm, opening the door. I felt awful for some reason. Not because I did anything wrong, just because I felt bad. My stomach felt like it was doing summersaults and my head was throbbing. Anxiety. I closed the door behind me and sat on my bed, pulling my phone out of my pocket and texting Thomas and Mina what happened. Mina responded after a bit with, "It sounds like he was embarassed to kiss you under mistletoe so he needed the kind of push that this Eren guy gave him in order to get the morivation to kiss you. Just talk to the guy." I sighed. She was right. I texted back with, "Alright. I'll keep you guys posted." Then Thomas came into the group chat with, "Yeah. What Mina said. Good luck." I smirked.

Jean opened the door to the dorm and he was still pink. "H-Hey." He said. Then I noticed that he had a black eye and some cuts. One on the bridge of his nose and the other on his chin. Great. "Jean..." I sighed, putting my phone in my pocket and standing up. Jean came in, closing the door behind him. I went into the bathroom and grabbed the first aid kit. When I came back in, Jean was sitting on his bed. He obviously knew the protocol by now. I pulled the wooden stool in our bathroom over in front of where Jean was sitting and sat down in it to get on his level so I could tend his cuts easier. I cleaned his wounds and he did not enjoy the disinfecting medical wipes as they stung. I went over his black eye with one, as well, just in case there were any cuts I didnt see around it. I sighed. "Jean... You cant keep doing these things. My parents wont be impressed by your black eye and this will not give them a good first impression." "Sorry, Marco..." He mumbled. "Apologize to my parents. Not me." "No..." He continued, "I'm sorry for kissing you like that... I really wanted to kiss you but... I was too embarassed to do it in front of our friends so... When Eren said I couldnt do it, proving that I could was the perfect excuse to do it..." Mina was right. Of course. I felt my face get hot. He wanted to kiss me. Jean was looking away and he was pink. I gulped. "Jean..." He didnt look at me, "Why are you so obsessed with kissing me?" Jean shrugged, looking at me, "I dont know. You're an attractive guy. I just want to." I felt my face get hotter as I applied band-aids to Jean's cuts. "Well. Can I have a proper kiss, then?" I asked him. He half smiled, "Of course." Oh God... Was he actually gonna kiss me again? "But you have to get closer." I gulped and scooted closer to him. If Connie and Sasha ever found out about this, they would kill us for still not going out. Jean put a hand on my jaw and before I knew it, his lips were pressed against mine. I let my eyes flutter closed and I let a breath out of my nose, relaxing. I leaned closer and placed my hands on the bed on either side of him. Then he pulled away from the kiss, but he was still so close that our noses could touch if either of us shifted at all. I opened my eyes and Jean was looking at me, extremely pink. This was the first time I'd seen his eyes close up and they were gorgeous. Amber with a yellowy orange undertone. Way more exciting than my brown eyes. "That kinda hurt..." He said, smiling softly. I smirked, "Gee. I wonder why. Mr. Busted lip." Then I kissed him again, just for a brief moment and hooked my thumbs into his jean belt loops at his hips. He turned pinker. "Marco..." He said, "Have you ever dated anyone before?" "Once..." I responded, "But not for long..." He nodded a bit, biting his lower lip. "So..." He continued, "What would you say if I asked you if you wanted to-" Someone knocked on the door and Jean growled. I smirked a bit and stood, pulling my thumbs out of his belt loops. I went and opened the door. Armin was there. "Hey." He said, "I just wanted to apologize for-... Am I interrupting something?" I was probably really flushed and I knew that Jean was, for sure. "Yes!" Jean exclaimed. "Jean." I said, sighing. "It's fine, Armin. What is it?" Armin made an "I'm so sorry" face. Then he said, "I wanted to apologize on behalf of Eren. He was being an idiot. He didn't hurt you too bad right, Jean? You're okay?" "No! Im not okay! I was trying to tell Marco something!" Jean exclaimed. I smirked. "He's fine. Don't worry, Armin." Armin sighed in relief, "Okay. Thank you! I didnt mean to interrupt anything. So I'm sorry for that, too." "It's okay, Armin." I said, smiling and starting to close the door, "Good night." I said. "Good night, guys." Then he left and I closed the door all the way. Jean looked unamused. "Jean. You need to relax." I grabbed the stool and closed the first aid kit, taking both into the bathroom and putting them into their respective spots. When I came back out, Jean was lying down on his bed. I went over to him. "Jean. What were you going to ask me?" Jean looked at me for a brief second. Then he sighed, "Nervermind." I sat down on the bed. "Jean. Come on." I said, shaking his shoulder softly. "Please tell me." He pushed my hand away, sitting up. "Look. If I tell you, somebody's just gonna interuppt us, again. I'll tell you during the break, okay?" I sighed. "Just tell me now." "No." I groaned. He was a jerk.


	22. Ten Steps at a Time CH 13 (Jean)

I was really frickin nervous about meeting Marco's parents. We werent dating but if I was ever going to date him, I would have to give a good first impression. And looking like I got in a fight with a busted lip was, as Marco said, not going to impress his parents. Armin was driving us to the airport. I could have driven but I was wary about leaving Nick out in the snow. At least at school, there was something covering him in the parking lot and protecting him. I was wary about the plane, as well. I know. Not a good situation. I already knew that Marco wouldnt appreciate the giant flying death trap and I didnt appreciate it either. Fun. We could hyperventilate together. We approached the airport and Armin dropped us off at the front, wishing us a Merry Christmas. We thanked him, grabbing our bags and wishing him the same. We headed into the airport and Marco took a deep breath. I was terrified, too but I was going to try to ignore the fear. I grabbed Marco's hand and pulled him along through all the stages of checking into the flight. I was the first out of security so I waited for Marco to be done. He was putting back on hus Uggs and placing his laptop back in his laptop bag. When he was done zipping it up, he walked over to me, smiling. I half smiled back. "Wasnt that fun?" I asked. He grinned. "Yeah. So much fun." He responded. I considered taking his hand again but I couldnt find an excuse to. I would definately be doing that when we reached our plane gate but not now. "Are you hungry?" He asked me as we walked along. "No." I responded. "Are you?" He shook his head. "Dont want Starbucks, Mr. Uggs?" I asked playfully. He grinned at me. "Shut up. You're the white one here." He said. I laughed. "It's true." I agreed. We went to wait until our plane got there then we headed on into our flight. I was seated and Marco was putting his bag up when I felt around in my pocket for my phone and found it... But then... I noticed that something else was missing... I felt around and Marco noticed, looking at me and knitting his eyebrows together. "You okay, Jean?" "Where the fuck is my wallet?" I said, wide eyed. Marco made this horrified face. I slapped my forhead remembering I had put it down during security. It was probably still there. "It's at security..." I dragged my hand down my face. "I'll go get it." Marco suddenly said. I looked at him. "No. Marco. You dont-" "It's fine. I'll be right back." Then he left before I could say anything else. "M-Marco!" I yelled after him. But he got off the plane. Dammit... I sighed. He could be left behind... How could I just let him go like that? I groaned. It was a little while. Then the flight attendants started doing their little exit pointing shit and I got really fucking nervous. I texted Marco with, "Hurry up pls." And then they told everyone to turn off their phones and I was literally about to grab our stuff and get off the plane. But right when they were about to close the plane door, Marco came in, panting, a bit sweaty, and with my wallet in his hand. He apologized to the flight attendant he terrified when he burst into the plane(fucking nice guy)and came over, sitting down next to me, and handing me my wallet. "You idiot." I said to him. He smiled at me, "I knew I could do it." I rolled my eyes. "Thanks." I said. "You're welcome." I put my wallet in my pocket as the pilot came on and said that we would be taking off in a minute or two. We both clipped on our seatbelts and Marco turned his phone off. I just started playing Bejeweled until Marco noticed and took my phobe, turning it off and putting it in his pocket. "Hey!" I exclaimed. He smiled at me. "Hush." He said. I smirked then leaned back against my seat. When we started taking off, Marco took my hand. I pulled the window shade down and laced my fingers with his'.

After a while, Marco poked me and I looked at him. "I'm gonna try to sleep. I would stay up with you but sleeping is the only way I dont flip out..." I nodded, squeezing his hand. "That's fine." Then I noticed something new. I grabbed Marco's jaw as he was looking away from me and pulled him to me. "W-What?" He questioned. "You have a new freckle." I let his jaw go. He smirked. "Ooh. So interesting. Not like I have a million of them everywhere already." I grinned. "I dont get to see those. I get to see the ones on your face." He turned a bit red. "It's true." He agreed. "You could let me see them, though." I said. He turned redder. "Erm... Maybe during summer." I laughed. "What? The fuck is happening in the summer?" He grinned. "Well it'll be warm enough to go swimming." "This is very true." I said. Then Marco rested his head against the back of his seat and closed his eyes. I smiled a bit. The ride was really boring until about five hours in when the pilot came on and said there would be turbulence. Goddammit. Turbulence was my worst enemy but it was probably Marco's as well... I didnt want to wake him up. Was this a sign of my new care for others? Because I would wake up the person next to me before now... Well, I'd still wake up Connie and Sasha and anyone who wasnt Marco so... I guess I just cared enough about Marco that I wouldnt wake him up. Lucky for me, however, he woke up due to the turbulence. Unlucky for me, when he realized what was happening, he was not happy about it. I couldnt let him know that I was terrified because that would just terrify him farther. So I just squeezed his hand and tried to calm him down. He only really calmed down after the turbulence was over. "God... Airplanes are worse than cars..." He said. I nodded. "Being afraid of airplanes is more common than being afraid of cars, though." "Right..." Marco said, rubbing his eyes witth his free hand. This lady who was coming down the aisle from the bathroom stopped at our seats and said, "I just wanted to say that you two are the cutest couple." Then she smiled and kept walking. Marco looked at me, extremely red. My face got hot but I laughed. "Oh God I wasnt expecting that..." Marco laughed a bit, too. "Why didnt you tell her that we arent a couple?" I asked, squeezing his hand. He smiled at me a bit, "I didnt want to be rude or crush her dreams." I smirked. "Right."

When the pilot said that the plane was finally landing in Montana, I was glad for it and I knew that Marco was, too. When the plane landed, I expected Marco to be one of those people who would jump up but he just sat there. I stood and raised an ewbrow at him, letiing his hand go. "You coming?" He smiled at me. "Yeah. I'm just gonna wait for these guys to get off first. They seem much more excited to leave." What? I smirked, sitting back down. "You're weird." I said. "You're weird." He responded. We got off of the plane eventually and we headed to luggage claim. Marco grabbed his suitcase and I nearly missed my suitcase but Marco grabbed it and put it down next to me, smirking. "Pay attention." I laughed a bit. "Thanks, dude." We then went down the escalator and Marco immediately went for this couple who were clearly his parents. The woman was tall with big blue eyes and dark hair. And, of course, she had freckles. The guy was shorter but had a muscley build, brown hair, and brown eyes. Marco let go of his suitcase and hugged them both as I approached behind him. I didnt want to intrude. His parents hugged him pretty tightly. Then they pulled away and his mother came for me. "You must be Jean!" She exclaimed, hugging me. I noticed she had an Italian accent. I hugged her back. "Y-Yeah." Then she pulled away. "Just call me Camelia." She said. Woah. Intense. First name basis with Marco's mom. Then his dad came over. Shit. This man could kill me. He grinned and held his hand out to me. I took his hand to shake it and that had to have been the most painful hand shake of my life, his grip was so strong. But I tried to stand it. "You can't call me Jerry yet but it's good to meet you, Jean." I nodded and smiled. Marco's dad didnt have an accent. "What's wrong, son?" Jerry asked me, "Cat got your tongue?" I spluttered at that, my face getting hot. "Okay, Dad." Marco said smiling and coming closer to us. "Oh right, Marco!" Camelia said. He looked at her owlishly, waiting for a response. "You get to drive us home from here." Wait what? Marco looked horrified. "Noo..." He said, "Please... I was just on an airplane." "Why are you driving us, Marco?" I asked. Camelia looked at me. "Do you not know that we've been trying to get Marco to start driving? I thought for sure you'd be the one to help him keep practicing." I looked at Marco and he wasnt looking at any three of us. "Marco." Jerry said, "Have you even been practicing?" Marco cleared his throat. "No but-" "Marco!" Camelia interuppted. He flinched. I didnt know that Marco could be rebellious at all. Well. That was a lie. Smoking doobies in high shool isnt exactly the definition of non-rebellious. However, I hadnt physically seen him be rebellious before so it came as a bit of a shock. Camelia sighed. "Look." Marco said, "I will drive us, okay? I'm sorry I didnt practice before." Then he grabbed his suitcase. This was gonna be fun. We all went out to a dark blue mini van and Jerry put our bags in the trunk then he said to me, "We get to sit in the back." Then he opensd the backseat door for me and I got in. Jerry got in behind me and closed the door. We both put our seatbelts on as Marco got into the driver's seat and Camelia got in the passenger's side. I actually started getting nervous as Marco turned on the car and started backing out of the parking space. He looked terrified and when he got out of the parking spot and turned it to drive, he jerked forwards randomly, pressing too hard on the acceleration. "Sorry!" He exclaimed shakily as he exited the parking lot. "It's fine, Marc." Camelia said, rubbing his shoulder. Marco almost had a full blown panic attack on the highway when the car almost slipped on ice and we had to pull over. What a great way to begin my visit with his family. I sighed with relief when we arrived at his house. It was really in the middle of nowhere. Marco seemed calmer as he drove down the snowy and silent road to his house. The house was a smalle, one story home that was blue and had a vegetable garden out front. He parked in the driveway then sighed softly. "I'm sorry..." He said. "Marco." Camelia said, "It's okay." Marco looked at me in the rearview mirror and I smiled at him to reassure him that it was alright. Marco smiled a bit back and looked relieved. Then he pulled the keys out and got out of the car, followed by the rest of us. Jerry pulled our bags out of the trunk and Camelia unlocked the front door and held it open as Jerry went in. Marco locked the car and I went in behind Jerry. Then Marco came in with Camelia who closed the door behind us and locked it. The house was so amazing. Amazing as in, it was simple and colorful and beautiful. Living in a big house all my life made me interested in the people who had less money than my own family. "We dont have a guest room so..." Camelia said, "What do you want to do, Marco? Can he stay in Jamie's room?" Marco smiled a bit, "He can stay with me in my room." I felt my face get hot. "A-Alright." I said. Marco then grabbed both of our suitcases and started to take them down the hall when I giant dog from another room tackled him and he let go of the bags, grabbing onto the dog. "Mikey!" He yelled. "He's missed you!" Cemalia said. The dog could stand up on it's hind legs and be almost Marco's height and I was fucking terrified that this dog would not like me. Marco eventually went into a room with out bags, the dog following behind him. "Come on, Jean!" Jerry said. "We have dinner prepared." Woah. I went into the living room and over to the table behind Camelia and Jerry. Jerry and I sat down as Camelia started serving dinner. I knew now that not telling Marco was kind of stressing me out. Being to doctors appointments regularly was already stressing me out enough and if I just followed my eating plan over the break, he'd never know, but I kind of wanted him to know... "So, Jean, Marco tells us that you want to go into Graphic Design." Camelia said. I nodded and smiled, "Yeah. He hasnt told me what he wants to do yet, though." "Oh. Marco wants to go into graphic design, too." Camelia said. "Oh yeah? Wow... I wasnt expecting that. He does a lot of sculpting." I responded. Camelia smiled at me softly, nodding and sitting down. "He likes sculpting and pottery the most." Jerry said, "That's his biggest passion." Oh. Maybe this was about money, then. "Why is he going into graphic design, then?" I asked in order to maybe clarify his reasons. "He believes that passions should be hobbies." Camelia explained, "I mean, art is his passion. But if he had to work with art as a job and have it become boring and tedious and lose his passion for one area of it, he would choose graphic design. Does that make sense or is my English bad?" I nodded. "No I understand." I said. I understood and I agreed about pickingg something to go into other than what your passion is if it makes, like, no money. Because Graphic Design was just something I was gonna do for money but... I didnt think Marco was that kind if person. He seemed like the kind of person who would go into what he wants to do unless he was being selfless... Marco came over and sat down, the giant dog following behind him, which I could see now was a pitbull. "His name's Mike." Marco said to me. "Marco. That dog is gonna kill me." Marco laughed. "No he wont. He could, not going to lie, but he wont." The dog lied down at Marco's feet and Marco smiled at me. I smiled back. I'd have to ask him about that Graphic Design thing later on.

"So. How were these last few weeks at school?" Camelia asked as we all dug in. "Alright." Marco said. "Well I know that yours' wasnt all that fun, Marc." Camelia said. Marco nodded a bit. "But how was yours', Jean?" I shrugged. "Not un-normal for the most part, I guess." She nodded. "Yeah but you met this guy this semester." Jerry said, pointing at Marco before picking back up his fork. "That probably made it more interesting." I grinned and nodded. "Dad..." Marco said. "Oh sorry, son." Jerry said sarcastically, "I forgot. You dont make anyone's life interesting. And you're the guy in red in Star Trek who always dies first." Marco laughed. "Right." "Where did all this modesty even come from, Marco?" Camelia asked him. Marco shrugged, "I dont think I'm modest." Was he fucking serious? All three of us stared at him and he turned red. "... Am I modest?" He asked. "Dude." I said, "You're being modest about being modest." Marco laughed. "Fine fine." Marco seemed a lot happier than usual. And he was more open with his personality than at school. When Camelia and Jerry were talking to eachother, I noticed that Marco picked off a bit of fake chicken and dropped it on the floor. Mike quickly grabbed it and I smirked. Marco noticed me watching him and he winked at me, smiling. Weirdo. Dinner ended soon and Marco took me to show me around the house. The front door led directly into a hallway and the living room was straight ahead. On the left of the hallway was the kitchen which had a sort of bar style window that looked into the living room. The table was in the living room along with a couch, a chair, a coffee table, and a TV across the room. The Christmas tree was in the corner of the living room. They had a bunch of decorations and pictures of family everywhere. On the kitchen bar, on the coffee table, on the walls. There was one big window in the living room which doubled as a glass door which had curtains over it. They also had a window in the kithen, right over the sink. Past the living room was a hallway that lead to the bedrooms and bathroom. Jamie's room was the first on the right, Marco's room was the second on the right and there was a hall closet betwene the two rooms that just held towels and sheets. The bathroom was the first on the left right across from Marco's room, Marco's parents room was the second on the left at the end of the hall, and there was one more on the right which was their laundry room. But there was another door. It led to the basement and it was at the end of the hall on the back wall. "C'mon." Marco said, leading me to Jamie's room. "Am I allowed to go in here?" I asked. I was kind of wary. Marco smiled softly at me. "You're sweet, Jean... Yeah. We can go in." He opened the door for me and I went in. The room was dark and Marco turned on the light attatched to the wooden fan on the ceiling. There was a window on the far wall and purple curtains covering it, and a sliding door closet that was all mirror. Her bed was queen sized with purple pillowcases on the pillows and a blue comforter which looked like it hadnt been touched in ages, two side tables, one with a lamp on it, and a wooden dresser right next to the door with perfume, make-up, and hair ties and bows on it. Plus a mirror with pictures framing it. There were also pictures on the walls of family and friends. I sighed. "Wow." I said, heading over to the dresser and looking at the pictures, "This is a nice room." "I'll be honest..." Marco said, smiling and closing the door, "This room sort of creeps me out nowadays..." I looked at him. "Why?" I said, knitting my eyebrows together. "Oh... I dont know... I mean. Jamie's dead... She died in a tragic way... I used to come in here when I was scared in my own room and sleep in her bed with her. I mean. It's just weird for me to think about it." I understood. "Yeah... I guess that is sort of creepy." I said. "That's her." Marco said, walking over to me and pointing at a framed picture sitting on the dresser that I hadnt noticed before. I picked up the picture and saw a very beautiful girl with big blue eyes, long brown hair with straight across bangs, freckles dotting her nose, olivey skin, and a lovely smile. "She's... Gorgeous. God. She could have been a model." Marco laughed a bit. "She was never very confident in her looks but I always thought she was beautiful." "Dude." I said, "She is." Marco smiled. "You're sweet." I smirked at him and put the picture back down. "I cant be sweet enough for you to say it twice in one day." Marco chuckled softly. "You are." He said, "I'm really glad about how much you respect my sister." I laughed a bit, "What? Am I not supposed to respect her?" "I'm not saying that. I'm just happy at the extent of your respect... I mean... Well you have fought people in defense of her which I never asked you to do." He pointed out. I smiled and turned to him. "Marco. I care about you... So I care about your family, too... Of course I'd defend you all..." Marco suddenly wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to himself. I hugged him back. "Marco..." I said, "You're parents are amazing." He laughed a bit then said, "I know..." I had to psych myself up to say it. I would notmally be able to just say it but I was getting kind of anxious because I knew that I was going to confess during this break. "You're amazing, too, Marco..." I said. Marco squeezed me softly and sighed gently. He held me for a little while then pulled away. "I... You're so great, Jean..." He then went and opened the door, smiling at me a bit and heading out into the hallway. I smiled and followed him. He closed the door after we got into the hall and he headed across to his own room and opened the door.

Marco's room was nice. It had a similar set up to his sister's room. Except his closet was wooden and his dresser and mirror were on the other side of the room, next to the window which had blinds and blue curtains. Marco's bed has brown pillow cases and a checkered quilt. Our suitcases were stacked on top of eachother, empty. I raised an eyebrow at Marco. "Did you unpack?" He nodded. "Yeah." "My underwear, Marco?" Marco laughed and turned red. "Sorry." He said. I rolled my eyes. "Jeez." I said. Mikey suddenly came sprinting in and he nearly tackled me but I fucking got out of there. Marco laughed as I jogged down the hall and into the living room. "Dude your dog's gonna kill me!" Marco followed behind me and Mike trailed behind him. "Mother!" Marco exclaimed into the kitchen as I flopped down on their pleather and squishy couch and Mike jumped up next to me, slumping down with his entire upper body on my lap. "Eeek!" Marco smirked as Camelia answered, "Yes, Marc?" "Is Rocky inside?" He asked. Who was Rocky? "No! Actually. I need to call him in!" She answered. "I'll do it." Marco said. "Thank you sweetie!" Then Marco went down the hall to the front door and I heard it open, then he started calling, "Rocky! Here kitty kitty kitty!" Oh thank God. A smaller animal. I petted Mike's head hesitantly and scratched behind his ears. "There you are, big guy!" I heard Marco exclaim then he closed and locked the door, walking into the living room with a pretty fat white cat with grey spots on him and yellow eyes trotting behind him. "There. Happy, Jean? I brought you a smaller animal that is less sweet." He then flopped down next to me on the couch. I smiled. Marco scratched in between Mike's shoulder blades for one second then Mike switched laps to lie down on and he lied down on Marco instead of me. I sighed in relief. "He likes you." Marco said to me. "Mike does." I smirked, "Cool. He can bite my face off if he wants to." Marco laughed, "He's not going to do that, Jean!" I laughed, too. Then I was reminded of the Graphic Design thing. "So... Marco..." I started. He looked at me, "Your mom says that you want to go into Graphic Design? But that your passion is sculpting and pottery so... Can you explain why you want to do Graphic Design?" Marco laughed softly. "Yeah. Um..." He started. Then he leaned over to me and glanced into the kitchen before whispering to me, "Honestly.. I just want to be able to have a job where I get enough money so I can support my parents. I really would like to go into clay art as a career but Graphic Design makes more money..." Well... This supported my "Marco is selfless" theory. I knew he wasnt gonna do it for frickin money for himself. "Dude... You lied to your parents." Marco nodded and knitted his eyebrows together. "Marco." I started, "I'm going into Graphic Design because it makes more money." Marco sighed. "Really?" He asked, "But you dont need to do that. I do." "Marco, look. I agree with making money but... I dont know it just feels weird hearing it from you." Marco stared at me then said, "Jean... I'm pretty set on Graphic Design..." I nodded. "Yeah man do whatever you want..." Marco nodded and scratched Mike's back. Goddammit now I har to fucking return his Christmas present... "Hey... C'mere Rocky." Marco said to he cat. The cat just stared at him. "Come here, kitty kitty." Rocky jumped up onto the couch next to me. "He's a lap cat." Marco said, just as Rocky flopped down on my lap. "Oh God he's actually heavy." I said. Marco laughed. "Yep. He is. He's big. When your family is Italian, you get big. Food is important." I laughed a bit. "Nobody in your family is fat, though. Except this cat." I said. Marco nodded. "It's true. But we arent small people. I only started being vegetarian when I left home so I guess I'm one of the least bulky in my family-including extended family and women." Inclufing women? Woah... They were all pretty decently muscular. Especially Marco's dad. Marco wasnt as muscular as that but he was pretty muscular. Not Reiner level but above Ymir level. So pretty average level. Enough to be really freaking hot... But, I mean, I thought Marco was hot no matter what. But he was stronger than me which I didnt like. And I was actually planning to do something about that after that embarassing arm wrestling match which I failed… That was part of the reason I agreed to change my eating habits. I petted Rocky's head for a few seconds before I pulled my hand away. The evening didnt last very much longer and everyone soon went to bed. Sleeping in the same bed as Marco was... Warm. I felt awkward at first but I soon got over it.

The next day, Marco and I werent really doing anything. His mom made us breakfast and it was great. But now, we were just sitting around and talking when someone knocked on the door. Camelia yelled, "Marco can you get that? It's probably your aunt and uncle!" Oh man I was going to meet more of Marco's family. Marco smiled at me before standing up and heading to the front door. I heard it open then there was a lot of people gretting eachother. I felt pretty nervous. After a lot of greeting and some talking, Marco came into the living room and grabbed my hand saying, "Come on! I want you to meet them." I smirked and followed Marco into the kitchen. There was a lady with bleached blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail, blue eyes, olivey skin, and freckles. She looked a year or a few younger than Camelia and she was very pregnant. There was also a man with a very receding hairline and brown curly hair. He was very tall and had brown eyes, light skin, and a very nice smile. Then there was a little girl, around six, who had curly dark hair that was in a ponytail with a red bow. She had on overalls with a white t-shirt and pink tennis shoes. She had brown eyes and light skin, freckles dotting her nose, and a nice smile. They all looked at me. "Guys. This is Jean Kirchstein. He's very very close to me." I felt my face get hot. "Jean. This is my aunt, Rosetta. My uncle, Michael, and my little cousin, Lunetta." "I'm not little!" Lunetta said. "Oh of course not, Lunetta." Marco said, smiling. "It's nice to meet you all." I said. Rosetta stood and came over to me, holding out her hand. "Hello, Jean." She said with an Italian accent. Then Michael shook my hand and he didnt have any accent as he said, "Nice to meet you, Jean." "Marco!" Lunetta said, coming over to him. "Yeah?" Marco asked, smiling at her. "Let's go!" She grabbed his hand and Marco let her drag him into the living room. "Come on, Jean." Marco said. I smirked and followed them into the living room. Mike jumped off the couch and went to Lunetta, sniffing her and licking her face. She laughed and I flopped down on the couch. Marco sat next to me and he pulled Lunetta onto his lap. "I got you something for Christmas." He said. She looked at him. "What is it?" "I cant tell you. That would ruin the surprise." Lunetta sighed. "I dont care. I wonna know." Marco laughed a bit and I smirked. Soon, Lunetta got bored of us and headed back into the kitchen. "Marco. Your family's so nice." I said. Marco turned a bit red. "I know they are... What about your family?" "Ugh." I said. "My mom is the only one who cares..." Marco knotted his eyebrows and he opened his mouth to say something then I cut him off with, "Maybe during spring break you can come visit for a day or two." Marco smiled at me. "I'd be glad to maybe visit for the first few days of the break then fly home." I nodded. "Yes please." I said. Marco nodded. "You're so needy." He said. My face got hot. "Shut up. I just like you." Marco smiled softly at me. "I like you, too." He said. Marco's family was so interesting. They were all very nice and sweet and they all cared for eachother. I started feeling jealously, to be honest. My parents didnt care. I mean. My mom did. She was happy that I was doing what I wanted to do but my dad hated me going into art. He wante dme to go into law. Like him. He helped me unpack. But that was he extent of hiscare. Plus, he wanted me out of thre house.

We didnt do much the next day. It seemed like each holiday was different. During Thanksgiving break, Marco and his family went out every day for family bonding time. But during Christmas break, everybody stayed home and bonded that way. So most if the fun were the conversations and jokes. The day after, though. Was interesting. It was now Tuesday and the next day would be Christmas Eve. Marco, Lunetta, Camelia, and myself were sitting around. The TV was on. When the doorbell rang, like fifteen times and Marco ran to go get it to make it stop ringing, yelling, "Okay! Okay! I'm coming!" I was expecting loud greetings again but instead when Marco opened the door he yelle, "What? No! Get out of here!" Camelia looked taken aback and she yelled, "Marco! Let whoever it is in!" Marco groaned. "But-!" "No Marco!" Camelia interrupted. I laughed a bit. This was actually really funny to see Marco get scolded. Suddenly, Mina and Thomas came into the living room. "Hey Mrs. Bodt!" Thomas yelled, heading over to her. "Oh! Thomas! Mina!" She said, standing up. Great. These people. Then some... Really hot girl walked around the corner and Marco followed. Not gonna lie, I was probably pink in the face. She had dirty blonde hair that was wavy and had straight across bangs, and greyish green, droopy, but sharp eyes. She was wearing grey skinny jeans, black heeled boots, and I couldnt see her shirt but she had a big blue coat on, a pink scarf, and red mittens. Plus a blue baseball cap. "Oh! And Hitch!" Camelia exclaimed. Hitch... Hitch... I'd heard that name before... She looked at me. "Oh my God." She said, "Jean Kirchstein!" Then she grinned devilishly and I remembered... I had dated this girl during my senior year of highschool... We met online... That year, I was trying to get through my depression that was set on by my dad not caring and almost forbidding me from going to Coirtney. I was better now because I didnt care what my dad and family, minus my mom, though. Hitch was hotter now, though. I stood up. "H-Hey, Hitch." She laughed and hugged me. I hugged her back hesitantly. "Not so sad anymore I see!" She said, pulling away from me. Marco looked so confused. She turned to Marco. "Oh! Marco! Jean and I dated during both of our senior years of highschool!" Marco made this face that I cannot describe. It was a mix between confused, hurt, and what-the-actual-fuck. I almost laughed but I didnt think that'd be a good plan. "Oh... That's weird. Okay." "It is weird because I knew you, Marco, while I was dating him. And now you two are really close." Hitch said. Marco nodded. "Yeah... That's really weird... Ugh. I dont like it." I smirked. "Why dont you like it?" I asked him and Hitch put an arm around my shoulder. "Because I didnt think it would be possible for Hitch to get someone so great." He said, walking past us and heading over to where Camelia was talking to Thomas and Mina. I felt my face get hot. "Hey! Rude!" Hitch exclaimed. Then she said to me, "So how's life been, Jean?" I looked at her and she still had that grin on her face. I pulled her arm off of around my shoulders and let it go then I said, "It's been fine. Better than senior year of highschool." "Marco's great, right?" She asked. He's fucking amazing and I want to marry him. "He's cool." I said. "How'd you meet him, again?" I asked. "Oh!" Hitch said, "We met in highschool. I knew him then." Woah... Weird as Hell... It all connects. "I dated him in highshool." What the fuck?! "What-What?! Wait what?!" Everyone looked at me and my face got really hot. Marco grabbed my arm and said to Hitch as he pulled me into the kitchen, "Sorry. One second, Hitch." When we got in there he said, "What is up with you? Are you okay? You're acting weird..." I sighed and glared at him, "Hitch and I met online and dated for our senior years of highscool. I barely remember because I was trying to get past my dad almost forbidding me from going to Coirtney and I was depressed but I'm fine now because I dont care about my family minus my mother anymore." Marco stared at me owlishly then he knitted his eyebrows together, "Oh... I'm sorry, Jean... I had no idea it was like that... Or else I wouldnt have let Hitch in..." I glared at him for a second before sighing and relaxing. "It's okay. You didnt know." Marco then hugged me. "I'm sorry that your dad is like that, Jean..." Woah... Nobody's ever really cared about my dad problems before. I sighed and hugged him back. "Thanks, Marco... I'm okay now..." Then he pulled away. I was suddenly reminded about the Marco dating Hitch thing. "Hey!" I exclaimed. Marco jumped. "Jean... Dont just randomly yell like that..." "Hitch said you dated her! What the fuck? I thought you were gay!" Marco stared at me owlishly before he laughed and said, "I am! Okay! Listen-!" "What the fuck Marco?" I exclaimed. "I'm trying to tell you what the fuck, Jean!" Marco exclaimed, laughing more. He calmed down a bit then he said, "Okay! Listen! Jean. So. I never dated her, okay?-" "What?! Make up your mind!" I yelled. Marco laughed again, his face was turning red and he calmed down again. "Listen to me!" He exclaimed, "It was this thing we did in highschool. We fake dated for our junior year because this weird guy kept asking Hitch out. That's why. She's just joking around when she says that stuff. Like. Oh we 'dated' in highschool." "... What the fuck, Marco?!" I yelled. "Shh!" He exclaimed, putting his hand over my mouth. He looked into the living room and said, "Sorry! I'm taking care of this one!" Then he looked back at me and said, "Why are you so angry?" "Because that's weird." I mumbled into his hand, "Now. Get your hand off my mouth." I continued. Marco smirked at me and said, "No. You'll yell again." I licked his hand and he turned red and pulled his hand away. "Ew!" He wiped his hand on my shirt and I laughed. "Thanks." I said, grinning. "So Thomas and Mina were talking about going out and walking around downtown for a couple hours." Marco said, smiling. "Do you want to come with us?" "Yeah. Sure." I said. "Yay." He said, pulling me back into the living room.

Marco, Hitch, Thomas, Mina, and I headed out to Thomas's van. The van was actually pretty alright. It looked put-together enough and it had paint all over it. Thomas and Marco sat up front and the rest of us sat in the back. It was quiet until Thomas turned on the radio and Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stephani came on and we all started laughing while Thomas started dance-driving. "Turn that off!" Mina said, giggling. "What are you talking about?" Thomas said, "This my shit, man!" Marco laughed at his stupid pun and pretty soon everyone in the van was singing along while Thomas and Marco were dancing in the front being dorks. I had never seen Marco be so calm in a car before. "A few times I've been around that track so it's not just gonna happen like that cuz I aint no HOLLABACK GIRL!" Thomas screamed and Marco jumped and punched his shoulder. "Dont scream!" Thomas laughed. Thomas screaming reminded me of Reiner. Anytime I had been in the same car with him, he would randomly scream a word or phrase from the song that was on the radio at that time, scaring the shit out of everyone in the car. "But this is amazing! Dont even hate on my amazing singing, man!" Thomas exclaimed. "... Gonna sock it to you! That's right I'm the last one standing another one bites the dust!" We were all singing. "This shit is bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!" Hitch yelled and all of us in response yelled, "This shit is bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!" Then we all started dying of laughter. These people were a lot more fun than I had initially thought. I mean, I knew Hitch already but hanging out with someone in real life is a lot more fun. The song ended and we all cheered and laughed at our incredible performance of it. "Marco. Hook up your phone to the radio! It's been a while since Min', Hitch, and I heard those tunes you listen to!" "What? The ones you always used to make fun of?" Marco asked while he was plugging his phone into the radio. I had never heard what Marco listened to. If we listened to music together while we worked, it was always mine. Never his. Marco turned on his music and this song that I had never heard before came on. It sounded jazzy but I didnt know it. "Marco..." Thomas said, "Frank Sinatra? Really? Can I Steal a Little Love?" "See?" Marco exclaimed, "You always make fun of it!" The first line came up. "Can I steal a little love?" Mina sang it. "Bah! I'm just messing around with you, Marco!" Thomas exclaimed, "This aint bad music!" "Jean looks so confused!" Hitch exclaimed. Thomas looked at me in the rearview mirror and Marco turned around to look at me in his seat. "You arent familiar with Frank Sinatra?" He asked me, smiling. "Nope. You've heard my music before. And if I'd known about this music beforehand, you'd be hearing it in my phone, Marco." I said. Marco laughed a bit and said, "I'm glad you like it." Then he turned back around. "Tell me honey with a smile..." Thomas and Mina sang, "I can walk you down the aisle..." Marco joined in, "I wont even need a shove... Can I steal a little love?" Hitch was singing, too. I was surprised. This was good music and it made Marco so much more endearing to see that he listened to classic music like this. "Please tell me why are you driving me crazy." They sang, "And why do I dig you like I do." I smiled a bit. I could get used to hanging out with these people. "If I could steal a little kiss and you can prove that it's wrong-" Then Thomas suddenly screamed, "I'LL GIVE IT BACK TO YOOOUUUUUU!" Howling the word "you" in the process of his yelling. Marco jumped. "Stop that!" I laughed and so did Mina and Hitch. "Can I steal a little love, Marco?" Thomas said teasingly. Marco rolled his eyes. "Sure. But I can, however, prove that it's wrong so you dont want to do that." Thomas laughed. "Why is it wrong?" He asked Marco. "Because you arent the one in this car I'm trying to get romantically involved with." Both Mina and Hitch looked at me then and my face got hot. I sunk down in my seat. Dammit, Marco... Even when you flirt indirectly you make me fucking blush everywhere...

Eventually we got downtown and Thomas parked then we all got out of the car. When we were all out, Thomas locked the car then Mina went to grab Thomas' keys but Marco beat her to it and shoved the keys into his pocket. "Why? Everytime! Why do you need my keys?" Thomas exclaimed as we all started walking down the sidewalk, the girls walking in front. "Because we dont trust you to keep them safe, Thomas!" Marco exclaimed, "You're gonna lose them." "I am not, dude!" Thomas said, groaning. "Yes you are." Mina said. Then Thomas tried to get his keys from Marco's pocket. Marco slapped his hand away and Thomas pouted. "Ow." He said. "Yeah. It'll get worse if I hand these keys off to Jean because he will karate chop your arm off." I laughed. "Yeah. I will." Thomas looked at me, "Why, dude? Bros before hoes." He said, pointing his thumb at Marco. Marco's jaw dropped, offended. I couldnt help it, I laughed. "Oh my God!" Mina said, looking at us. "That's terrible!" "Jean! Whose side are you on?" Marco exclaimed. I laughed more. "I'm sorry, Marco! But that was perfect!" Thomas was laughing, too. Marco then caught up with Hitch and Mina, walking in front of us. "Aw man!" Thomas exclaimed to me, "You arent getting any tonite." My face got hot. "We are not dating." I said. "Really?" Thomas said, "Huh. Weird." Did we really look like we were dating? I mean, I didnt mind but... "So, are you even dating anyone, man?" Thomas asked me. "Naw." I said, "I mean. I'd like to and hopefully I will soon but who knows?" I looked at the back of Marco's head and Thomas followed my gaze then he grinned. "I could help you get with Marco." He said. I looked at him skeptically... "Yeah?" I asked. He nodded... I didnt trust his grin. "How exactly would you do that?" "Man. There's an ice skating thing that's gonna happen here downtown two days before New Years in the evening. Like, at seven. Happens every year. It's on the lake in front of the Christmas tree." He pointed up at the giant Christmas tree whose star on top was the only thing we could see since it was covered by the buildings in front of it. I nodded. "And...?" "Well..." He said, "You and Marco could go shop around, have some fun. Then go ice skating. Then you confess. Worked for me." I raised my eyebrow, "Are you even dating anybody?" Thomas shook his head no. "She dumped me a few weeks ago but I mean the confession on the ice still worked for me!" I smirked. "Whatever." Maybe I'd do that... I wasnt planning on anything big but I wouldnt mind doing what Thomas suggested. My phone suddenly rang and I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I saw that it was Connie and I sighed, answering my phone with, "Go away." "Hey!" Connie exclaimed, sounding offended. "What do you want?" I asked him. "How's your visit with Marco? Have you done the freckle frackle yet?" My face got hot. "Connie!" I exclaimed. Marco looked at me then he smiled, "Connie?" Then he slowed down to walk next to me. I smirked at him. "You walked away from me , Marco. If you want to talk to Connie you can call him yourself." Marco raised his eyebrows at me then he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He was not gonna call him right now... Marco tapped at his phone before putting it to his ear. "Oh hang on, Jean. I have a Marco call!" He then went silent from my line. I stared at Marco in disbelief at what just happened. "Hello?" He said, "Hi, Connie! How are you?" He stuck his tongue out at me playfully then he went and caught up with the girls again. Thomas laughed loudly. I hung up on Connie. This guy... If he wanted to play like that, fine. But I was stubborn as fuck. I called Connie again. By this time, Thomas had caught up with the girls and was starting a conversation with them. Connie soon came on my line, "What is it, Jean?" "Dont just leave in the middle of our conversation!" I exclaimed. There was silence then he said, "Why not?" He was being an ass and I was not amused. Marco looked at me as his line was cut off. "Jean!" He exclaimed, "I was having a conversation!" I grinned at Marco. "You cant just do that and expect me to not react." I said. Marco pursed his lips then he tapped away at his phone. "Connie." I said into the phone, "Do not leave my line!" Connie laughed, "Why not?" "Because Marco's being an ass!" I exclaimed, "I dont believe you. Op! I have a Sasha call." I sighed as Connie let Sasha into the coversation. I realized then that Connie didnt have to cut me off in order to talk to Marco and I was actually offended that he deliberately switched lines to talk to Marco instead of me. "Sash?" He said. "Connie! Answer Marco! He's dying!" I snapped my head up at Marco and he grinned at me, slowing down to walk next to me. "What?!" Connie exclaimed. "He is not dying!" I yelled, "He's right here! Listen!" I put the phone to Marco's mouth but Marco just smirked at me, not saying anything. "Oh you little-!" I said. Then I hit Marco in the face with my phone. "Ow! Jean!" He said. "AHA!" I exclaimed, putting my phone back to my ear. "Did you just hit him?!" Sasha exclaimed, "Jean how rude!" "What?!" I exclaimed, "But he lied to you and said he was dying!" "No he didnt! He told me that so I could mess with you two!" Oh shit. I looked at Marco and he was smirking at me, rubbing his nose. I frowned. "Bye guys." I then hung up on Connie and Sasha, barely hearig their protests. "You're an ass!" I exclaimed to Marco, "Where did this even come from?" Marco laughed. "I was just screwing around, Jean!" "Well it wasnt funny!" I said. Marco just laughed more and I sighed. "I thought you were nice, Marco." Marco grinned at me, "I dont think that's true." He said. "Clearly not!" I exclaimed. "You humble asshole!" "A humble asshole?" Marco asked me. I stared at him. Was this dude on drugs? "Are you frickin high?" He laughed, "No. Jean I'm just more comfortable here at home with my highschool friends." "You arent comfortable around me?" I asked. "Jean. We've been friends for a semester. I've lived here all my life and been friends eith these people for years. Not to mention talking to them gets me pumped up." "You need to calm the fuck down then because you're scaring me." He laughed. "What? I'm not supposed to be relaxed around my good friends?" He said. "You arent relaxed!" I exclaimed, "You're frickin hyper!" "Okay okay!" Marco said, "I'm sorry, Jean. I'll try to relax. I'm just too excited. Here." Then he took my hand. My face got hot and I yanked my hand away. "Dont try to distract me." He smirked at that. "I'm not, Jean." He held his hand out to me again and I sighed, considering it, before taking his hand.

"Good!" He exclaimed. It was quite a while before I felt at all composed. We went into a few shops and Hitch came up in between us in this candy shop. "So..." She said, "Why are you two holding hands?" I spluttered, looking at Marco, feeling my face go hot, and searching for an answer in my head. "Did you know that in India, close guy friends hold hands?" Marco said. Oh thank God... "We arent in India, though." Hitch pointed out. "That's not my problem." Marco replied, looking back at the candy. Pft! I grinned. Nice. Hitch laughed. "Sure. You guys are just close friends!" "Right." Marco said. "With benefits!" She exclaimed as she scampered away. Marco rolled his eyes tgrn he noticed how flushed I was. "You should know by now how Hitch is." He said. "I know," I said. "Why are you reacting like this then?" Because I fucking love you, weirdo! I shrugged. "I dunno." I said, "I guess it's just a little weird seeing her again. I never actually met her in person." Marco shook his head. "What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Oh I dont know." Marco said, "Maybe I'm too cautious but... Personally, meeting people online scares me. I dont want to get hurt. Also, I feel like meeting people in real life is really how you get to know someone. I mean, that's how I always did it. Maybe that's why I barely have any friends, though." He smiled a bit. I nodded in understanding. "I get it." I said, "I mean, I feel like I can be careful enough." He shrugged in response. I liked how we could have seperate opinions. That didnt bother me. "What even is this?" Marco said pulling a singing pickle in it's packaging off of the shelf. I laughed and he looked so confused. "We're in a candy shop! Why?" He said. "I dont know!" I exclaimed, taking it from him. "Try me." I said, reading the label and pushing the button on the pickle. It didnt do anything. "Rip offfff." I said. Marco laughed softly. I then put it back on the shelf and we hung out in that area for a few more minutes then started heading away but then the pickle started spouting Home on the Range. Marco and I both stopped and looked back at it then we looked at eachother. He looked terrified. "It's possessed!" Marco exclaimed, laughing a bit nervously and dragging me away from it. "Dont look it in the eyes!" I yelled, letting him drag me. "What did you do?" Mina asked us as we approached her. "We set off this pickle that was supposed to sing but it only started singing when we walked away." Marco said. She laughed, "What?" She said. Marco laughed, too. "Now it's just spouting Home on the Range." I said, grinning. "You guys shouldnt mess with that stuff." Marco grinned, "It said 'Try me', Mina." "Oh of course!" She exclaimed, "You have to poke it if it says that!" "Exactly!" I said. She rolled her eyes but she was smiling. "Men." She said.

We got back home later on. But as Marco and I were getting ready for bed, Maroc brought up the whole Graphic Design thing again. He was pulling on a nightshirt and I was just innocently tapping at my phone when he said, "So I talked to Mina about my intentions for Graphic Deisgn because it dawned on me that I never actually told any of my friends about that stuff." I raised an eyebrow, "Okay?" "And she said that I should really go into what I want to do and support my family with part of that money... And I agree after she explained her side..." Oh wow. Okay. "Oh really?" I asked. "Yep." He said, smiling at me. "I talked to my parents about it right before I came in here and they told me not to 'waste' my money on them." I nodded. Yes. I agree. "But they told me to do what I want to do. And so I'll go into clay art and support them with part of my money." I sighed, "Marco." He looked at me, his happy smile fading. "I think you should make as much money as ou want and just keep it for yourself. You're so nice. You deserve it." Marco narrowed his eyebrows, "No thanks. I've had a complete change of heart, Jean." He said, sitting at the end of the bed, "And I think you should do illustration-" I groaned. I knew this was coming, "-You'll be a lot happier." "Marco." I said, "I dont want to." He sighef softly and there was a pause, "Whatever you want..." "Thank you." I said, smiling. It was quiet as Marco got into bed and faced away from me. Then I heard him say, "We'll talk about this again..." Dammit.


	23. Ten Steps at a Time CH 14 (Jean)

On Christmas Eve, Lunetta was, literally, flipping out. And, what was even better, was that Marco's grandparents on his dad's side came in. Plus, his uncle on his dad's side came in with his two little boys. Marco's grandparents were nice people. His grandmother was short with a grey bun atop her head, brown eyes, and light skin. His grandfather was a tall man with grey hair and a very receeding hairline and hazel eyes. His other uncle was short and had light brown, almost blonde, hair and hazel eyes. His two little boys, who were nine, were twins with blue eyes and shaggy dirty blonde hair. I was to call Marco's grandparents, grandma and grandpa. His uncle's name was Roger and the boys were Noah and Jonas. This addition of children did not help Lunetta's freaking out. All three of them were fucking obsessed with Christmas and they jumped around nonstop. Marco and I decided that we would go take a walk. So we pulled on our jackets, shoes, gloves, and scarfs. Marco put on earmuffs and I pulled on my green beanie with snowflakes on it. When we walked out and Marco closed the door behind us, we both breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh my God your cousins are insane..." I said, walking down the porch steps. Marco laughed and followed me, "I know." He said as we stepped onto the sidewalk and started walking, side by side. "But they're cute." He finished. I smirked, "Yeah. Cute." Marco laughed at that. "Hey!" He said. I grinned at him. "I like how your family yells at eachother in italian." Marco grinned. "Yeah. My poor grandparents that are here dont know the language, though. So they're always so confused." We both laughed. "Jean. Do you speak any other languages?" He asked me. "French. It came in handy when I had to have a foreign language class. I'm fluent in it so I just picked French and made a C in the class, overall." Marco laughed at that. "Why did you make a C?" I grinned. "I didnt do anything, that's why. What did you make in your foreign language class?" Marco smirked at me, "I was valedictorian, Jean. I got all A's every year." "Well find then Mr. Smartypants." Marco laughed a bit. "Man..." I said, "Mattheius must be missing you. You were good for their school." Marco smirked. "Right..." He said. My hands were freezing off. My stupid gloves were shit. I blew into my hands and rubbed them together then shoved them into my pockets. "Are your hands cold?" Marco asked me. "Yeah. My gloves suck." Marco then held his hands our to me. I raised an eyebrow and gave him my hands. We were still walking so it must have looked really awkward. Marco held my hands in his own and I smirked. "Thanks." I said. We reached the end of the sidewalk on this dead end street. "Why are we here?" I asked. "C'mon." He said, letting my hands go and trudging through te snow to the metal fence blocking us from the hill on the other side. I raised an eyebrow and followed him. "My friends and I used to come to this hill all the time. There's a giant tree on the otherside that we would always climb." He said as he climbed up the gate and landed on the otherside. All I could think about was how agile he was. He made it over that fence in thirty seconds. I sighed. "Come on." He said, smiling at me. "I dont know about this. I'll probably break myself or the fence." I climbed up the fence shakily. Not fun. Then I jumped down, nearly breaking my legs and landing on my ass. Marco helped me up. "You alright?" He asked. I brushed myself off. "Yeah. I'm cool." "You arent cool, Jean. But I'm glad you're alright." He said, walking past me and towards the hill. I smirked, balling up a snowball and throwing it at Marco. It hit him on the back of the head and he jerked around to look at me, nearly tripping. I half smiled, crossing my arms. "Oh. Really? It's like that?" He said, leaning down and bunching up some snow together. "Dont you dare." I warned. Marco just grinned, throwing the snowball. I tried to get out of the way but he had a good arm. It hit me right in the face. He cracked up as I wiped my face. Oh he was dead. I started heading up the hill after the brunette. "Stay away!" He exclaimed, running up the remainder of the hill and disapearing on the other side. I smirked. He was ridiculous. I made my way up the hill and when I was at the top and saw what was below me, I was taken aback. There was untouched snow, and a lot of it, covering the ground as far as I could see. And there was a huge tree. At first I wondered where Marco was because I didnt see him but then I saw the footprints. They led straight to the tree and I saw him standing behind the trunk. Idiot. I half smiled, rolling my eyes and making my way over to the tree. "Marco. Seriously? This was your hiding spot?" I walked around the trunk and was immediately covered in a ton of snow that was randomly thrown at me. It surprised me so much that I fell down. "OOMPH!" Marco laughed and stood over me. "My God!" I yelled. Marco was just laughing his ass off. I stood up, taking his unfocused state as an advantage. I noticed the snow on a branch above us. I just needed to distract Marco so he wouldnt notice me reaching up. I suddenly got an idea. I didnt know if it was going to work but... I would still try... I grabbed Marco by the collar of his jacket and he stopped laughing, looking at me with wide eyes. I pushed him so his back was against the tree. He turned a dark red. "J-Jean?" I put my hands on the trunk of the tree on either side of him and just stared at him. This was working, surprisingly, well as a distraction. I stared at him for a few moments before I reached up and shook the tree branch, backing up quickly and laughing as the snow fell down on Marco's head. "AHH! JEAN! You-!" He yelled, trying to sheild himself as he stumbled out from under the branch. He looked at me with wide eyes. I was fucked. When Marco started walking towards me, and I ran to the otherside of the tree, managing to climb up it at, hopefully, not reaching distance as Marco came around the tree. He looked up at me and laughed. "You're going to hide from me in a tree?" I grinned and hissed at him and he rolled his eyes. "Jean, you're so strange." I smirked, "You're strange." Marco climbed up the tree and sat on the banch next to me. "Hey." He said. I looked at him skeptically, "You're not going to push me off, are you?" Marco laughed softly. "No I'm not going to push you off... Your hands must be freezing." "I dont trust you right now." I said. Marco reached above us and shook a branch. The snow fell on both of us. He laughed and I was just attempting to save myself. I had jerked, almost falling off of the branch. But Marco grabbed me and pulled me back, holding me close to himself. I felt my face get hot. He was really warm. "You okay?" He asked me, his eyebrows knitting together, "Sorry. I didnt think you'd fall..." I took a chilly breath. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine, Marco." He smiled softly at me and wiped snow off of my jacket and hair. Then he caught my eye and gulped. I stared at him. Dammit. This was probably one of the only times we'd be alone during this break. I was planning on confessing at the ice skating thing but-my thoughts were cut off as Marco's hands grabbed the front of my jacket. Then his lips pressed against mine pretty hard. My face got hot and my eyes widened. Oh God... I kissed him back and slowly closed my eyes, placing a hand on one of his knees and my other hand tangled in his hair. I sighed softly as Marco pulled away from the kiss slowly. "Jean..." He said. I opened my eyes and looked at him. "Do you want to-" "Wait!" I exclaimed. He looked confused. "Shut up. I'm asking. Not the other way around. Do you want to go out with me?" Marco blinked owlishly before laughing softly and turning redder. "Yeah." He said, "I do. Really bad." I grinned. Thank God.

"Wait..." He said, "How long have you-" "Been wanting to ask?" I interuppted, "For fucking ages." He smiled a bit and turned redder. "I just had to wait for Connie to ask Sasha out." Marco blinked and looked at me then his eyes widened. "You just asked the person the thing..." I laughed and nodded. "Yep." He smacked my shoulder. "You are such a nerd!" I laughed, "Hey! That hurt!" "It did not." He disagreed, "And I like you a lot. You couldve asked me out at anytime!" "I didnt know!" I exclaimed, laughing. Marco smirked and took my hands, holding them in his own. "We should go to this annual ice skating event downtown." Marco said. I smirked at him, "I was actually gonna ask you if you wanted to do that." "Really?" He said, smiling at me. I nodded and half smiled. "Thomas mentioned it to me so I wanted to do that with you. I was actually gonna confess after that." He smiled a bit. "You nerd." He said. I smirked at him, "You're the nerd." He laughed softly. "So." I started, "How long have you been wanting to get with me?" He smirked. "You talk like you're better than everyone else, Jean." I grinned, "I am officially in a relationship with, apparently, the nicest person on the planet. According to everyone in our class and your friends here at home." Marco laughed softly and turned redder. "I am not." "So you're saying I'm not the best because I'm not with the nicest guy on the planet?" I said. Marco grinned, "Yes. You're not the best because of that." I smirked. "You gonna answer my question or not?" Marco laughed softly, "Right. Um... My intentions were to be in a romantic relationship with you from the start." What? I raised an eyebrow. "Wait, seriously?" Marco smiled and nodded. "You're crazy. You could have asked me out this whole time." He just laughed and said, "Jean. I tried on multiple occassions. And I was gonna try again during the break, obviously. I just tried to then you cut me off so you could be the man." I laughed. "I had already planned it, Marco. Get out of my face." He grinned, "Well I was planning it, too. So. Sorry." "Fight me!" I exclaimed. Marco laughed, "I'm not going yo do that." "Come on! Punch my shoulder!" "Jean. No." I was serious, "I want to feel how hard you can hit." Marco smirked, "I dont want to hurt you." "You wont. I've been tackled by Reiner." Marco sighed softly then he balled up his fist, "Jean..." He warned. "Go!" I yelled. Then Marco punched my shoulder and it hurt like a bittcchhh. "OW! Shit!" I exclaimed, putting a hand over my shoulder, "Woah! You hit hard!" "You made me!" He said, pushing my hand off of my shoulder. Then he rubbed my shoulder gently. "I'm fine, dude." Marco had his eyebrows knitted together. "It's fine, Marco. I told you to do it." "Yeah and I shouldnt have. I'm supposed to be the responsible one." I laughed, "Hey!" He grinned. It dawned on me that maybe this wasnt such a fabulous idea to go out with Marco Bodt...yup. Just realized it. Considering the conversation we'd had about Graphic Design and me not doing what I wanted to do because of money... Now Marco had me in his grip and he could potentially change my mind... Goddammit. Oh well. I couldnt worry about it. I would worry when it was brought up again. And I knew he wouldnt forget about it so... I just had to wait in silence for it to be brought up again. I had to declare my major by next year, at least. And now I _had_ to tell this goober about my eating disorder… It was required _soon_. Dammit.

The next morning, it was, like six am and I was perfectly happy asleep in bed with Marco when I suddenly heard, like, three people screaming at the top of their lungs. I jolted awake and so did Marco. We both sat up. There were children jumping on our bed. "Guys...!" Marco exclaimed to his cousins, "Get outta here...!" "But it's Christmas!" Lunetta screamed. Marco sighed and got up. "Where's your shirt!?" Noah exclaimed, jumping onto Marco's back. "OOF!" Marco exclaimed as he caught the boy. "In my drawer you weirdo." "You dont sleep with a shirt? Mr. Jean had one!" I smirked. Marco had run out of nightshirts so he had to do some laundry today. But for the night, he just went without. And I got a good look at him... Marco took really good care of his body. I also got a better look at that scar. I hadnt asked him about it, though. "You dont have to be so formal with him. He doesnt deserve that." Marco said. "Hey!" I exclaimed. Marco let Noah down onto the floor. "Go." He said, "We'll be out in a minute." The three of them ran out then. Marco closed the door behind them then he looked at me and he was smirking. "Does that happen every time?" I asked. "Yep." He said, "I should have been prepared." When I saw Marco opening the drawer to the dresser to get out a shirt, I decided I had better ask about the scar now if I really wanted to know. "Marco." I said. Marco looked at me. "Where did that scar come from? I mean, I dont want to assume..." Marco smiled softly. "It's okay. It's from the accident. Glass is dangerous." I nodded. "Okay. I was just wondering." "Yeah." He said, pulling out a red v-neck t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Then he headed out into the hall. To the bathroom, I assumed. So I took that as my que to get dressed. So I did just that. I got dressed into a black long-sleeved shirt and skinny blue jeans. I then started snooping. I had to do it at some point. I started opening up drawers and I realized that Marco had a sort of junk drawer where a ton of just items were and no clothes. As soon as I found out about the drawer, I heard somebody comming down the hall so I slammed the drawer shut and went to grab my phone from the outlet on the other side of the bed. Marco opened up the door then and smiled at me. "Hey. C'mon. Breakfast is ready." I smiled and went out of the room, closing the door behind me. Then I followed Marco down the hall. Pretty much everyone was awake. They were all dressed in daytime clothes except for the children. "We have to eat first." Rosetta was saying to the kids. "Noooo!" Lunetta exclaimed. "Come on. Come sit at the table." I was wondering how the Hell all of us were gonna sit at that table. "Marco. Come help me with the table." Jerry said. Marco headed over and the two of them folded the table out so it was twice the size it was before. Oh okay. Nice. Everyone took their seats and Camelia started serving breakfast just as Marco's grandparents came in. "Good morning!" Camelia said. "Good morning." Marco's grandma responded. Then the two of them took their seats. Marco leaned in and kissed me on the cheek right before we started eating. "Did it happen?" Camelia asked, looking at Marco with wide eyes. He nodded, turning red and smiling. I felt my face get hot. "We win!" Jerry suddenly yelled at Marco's aunt and uncle. "Darn!" Michael exclaimed. "What?" Marco said. The Michael and Rosetta pulled their wallets out of their pockets and put a twenty each down in front of Marco's parents. "Guys!" Marco exclaimed. I cracked up. "Amazing!" I yelled. His parents laughed, too and I covered my mouth because I realized how loud I was. Breakfast was amazing then the kids immediarely went to the presents under the tree. I didnt get anything. I mean, it was expected. And I didnt mind. It was nice watching them get excited for their own presents. I had gotton Marco something but I was waiting to give it to him because it was actually back at Coirtney.

That evening, we had a great dinner. Which was rare for me. Marco's fmaily was really the best. They were so sweet and they all loved eachother so much. Now, there were a few moments that were tense. For example, Marco had been working on this piece during the break. He worked on it, not 24/7. But he spent at least three to four hours a day on it. Mostly after dinner. And when the meal was over, Marco, like the goody two shoes he is, took all our plates into the kitchen and his dad brought in the dishes that held the food. Marco was about to start helping his parents clean up but Camelia told him to go work on his project. "No no..." Marco said, "I want to help you guys. It's okay." "Marco. We can handle it. Dont worry. I know that every piece you do is important." Marco sighed, "That may be true but I want to spend time-" "Marco." Camelia said, "Go work." "Mom. Let me help." "No, Marco!" She exclaimed. I felt slightly awkward at this moment but then I realized that they were literally fighting so the other person could have what they wanted... I didnt deserve to be here. I didnt deserve to even know Marco, much less be in a romantic relationship with him. I started regretting asking him out because I knew that if I failed, I would pull him down with me and that put some stress on me. We didnt do much for the next few days. It was actually kind of sad. That post Christmas depression set in and we were all feeling it. The week went by really quick. It was already almost New Years. The next day, Monday the 29th, was when Marco and I had planned to go ice skating. I would have to try to not fall on my face. I'd never actually ice skated before. Which was just brilliant. I started regretting agreeing to going to this thing.

The next day, Marco and I had to drive downtown at around seven to get to the ice skating thing. So Marco drove and I was in the passenger's seat, fearing for my life. He was getting ever so slightly better very slowly. I couldnt hold his hand because he was insistent on keeping both hands on the wheel. He had wide eyes and I was afraid he'd snap whenever we turned wrong or went over a speed bump. We got downtown pretty okay but he parked terribly and we had to switch places so I could park us correctly. He was apologizing nonstop and when I parked, I put my hand over his mouth for a breif moment so he would shut up then I said, "Dude it's fine." Then I got out. Marco got out as well and I locked the car, handing him the keys after. "Dont call me 'dude' anymore, Jean." He said, taking my hand as we walked along and smiling a bit. I smirked, "Fine. What do you want me to call you?" Marco shrugged, "I dont know. Not 'dude', though." I squeezed his hand. "Right." "Are we gonna tell Connie and Sasha?" He asked. I grinned, "I dont know. Connie didnt tell me. Let's not tell anyone and make them think we're still just friends." Marco laughed softly, "That's so mean but okay." "Yes!" I exclaimed, "Thank you!" He smiled at me. "I'm paying for it." I said as we approached the temporary stand in front of the lake where we had to pay and get our skates. Not a ton of people were there. Thank God. "Jean. No." Marco said, "I'm paying for myself." "Nope." I responded, stepping aside so people could get past us as ee stood there. I pulled my wallet out of my pocket and slipped my golden credit card from it's holder. "Jean-" "Marco, I literally have too much money. I could buy a house and have enough left to buy, like, twenty seven more." Marco raised an eyebrow at me and said, "Cottages or mansions?" "The house I made for my still life." I responded. Then remembered that I had broken Marco's. Yeesh. "Okay so a mansion." "I dont live in a mansion." I said. He raised an eyebrow, "You dont live in that tiny stick house to begin with." I laughed. "No! I did a replica of my own house with that still life!" "Ohh!" Marco said, laughing, "You live in a nice house, Jean." I smirked, "Yeah it's annoying." He smiled a bit and kissed my nose. I smirked and felt my face get slightly hot as I went over and paid for the both of us. "What shoe sizes?" The lady asked me. I turned, "Marco!" Marco came over, "Hm?" He asked me. "What shoe size are you?" "Ten." He responded. "Ten and nine." I said to the lady. Marco took my hand as the lady went to go grab our skates. I looked at Marco and he smiled at me then kissed the top of my head. "Dont do that." I said, "It feels like I'm small when you do that." Marco smirked as the woman came back and placed the skates on the desk. "Alright." She said, "Here you go." Marco let my hand go and grabbed both pairs of skates and started heading over to a bench. I followed behind him. "I hope you realize I've never skated before and I'll probably die tonite." I said as Marco sat down and handed me my skates. He laughed a bit, "You'll be fine, silly." I sat next to him. "Have you ice skated before?" I asked him. He pulled on one of the skates, "Yep. I used to take figure skating lessons and I came down here every year." Woah. "You were learning how to figure skate?" "Yeah." He said, lacing up the shoes. I pulled my own on. "I did it from... Uhm... The fourth grade to the eighth grade." "Why'd you stop?" I asked. He shrugged, "I lost my passion for it. Plus, it was vigorous training by the eighth grade and I started not being able to have free time. It was, wake up, go to shool, come home and do homework, then go to practice. And on the weekends, practice was nearly all day. So I quit." I grinned. No wonder this guy was so frickin agile. "Ballet was also something I did." He said, waiting for me to lace up my shoes, which I was having trouble with. "Really?" I was surprised. "Yeah. I had ice skating every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Then ballet the other days. And both Sunday and Saturday were devoted to skating. I did ballet theough my senior year, though. Didnt give that up. I was actually still practicing in Texas at Mattheius but I couldnt find any places that I liked in Coirtney's area." "No wonder." I said. He smirked at me, "No wonder what?" "No wonder you're so gay." Marco laughed and I grinned, "Kidding. No wonder you're so graceful." He smiled. "Need some help?" He said, noticing the trouble I was having with the skates. "No!" I exclaimed, "Get away! I can do it!" He jumped at my yelling and laughed, "Calm down! Okay!" We sat there for a few more minutes then Marco suddenly grabbed my foot and pulled it onto his lap. I nearly fell back. "Dude!" I said, "I dont respond to that anymore." Marco said, tying my shoe. I smirked. He smiled slightly and then he grabbed my other foot and tied the laces for that one, too. He stood, "Do you need help walking?" "Dont sass me." I said, standing. He laughed softly, "I'm not! I was genuinely asking." I sighed, knowing I was going to fall on my face before I even got on the ice. I held my arms out to Marco and he smiled, pulling me onto my feet. I managed to get on the ice alright. But I fell a lot and everytime, Marco helped me up. Eventually, I just sat on the edge of the lake. "Show me some of your ice skating things." I said to Marco. He laughed softly, "Really?" "Yeah. I'm interested." I grinned at him. He took off his earmuffs and scarf and threw them at me. I caught them, "Wow okay. Eager." He smiled at me. There were at least two other people on the ice so he wouldnt be getting in anybody's way. He sighed. "I might fall. I havent done this in more than two years." I smirked, "Good. We'll be even if you fall twenty seven more times." "You are obsessed with that number." Marco said, laughing. I grinned. "Go!" Then Marco skated away from me. I was actually really excited to see what he could do. He skated around before actually preparing to go into a jump. He jumped and spun in the air once and he nearly stuck the landing but he landed wrong and fell on his butt. "You alright?" I yelled to him. He gave me a thumbs up then he stood surprisingly gracefully and I could tell he was going to try again. He warmed up by going around the lake a few times then he went into the jump, spun, and stuck the landing. And when he landed it, it was fucking beautiful. The air got knocked out of me. He came over to me, shaking his head. "I can do a better one than that." He said, stopping in front of me. "Are you kidding me? That one was amazing!" He laughed softly, "Thank you but... It was pretty bad." I didnt know if he was being modest or if it was genuinely bad. "I thought it was gorgeous." I said. He kissed the top pf my head and I smacked his face, not hard. "Hey!" He exclaimed, "What was that for?" "For kissing my head! I said no!" "But you called me 'dude' two times. We're even now." He said. "Fine! Dont do it again!" I exclaimed. Marco grabbed his scarf and earmuffs, putting them on. "C'mon." He said, grabbing my hands and pulling me up. I smirked as Marco pulled me along around the lake. "I'm just gonna fall." I said. He smirked a bit at me, "And I'll help you up, clumsy." I nearly tripped even though Marco was holding onto me and he grabbed me, pulling me close to his chest. I smirked a bit, holding onto his arms and looking at him. He smiled and kissed my cheek. I almost giggled but I stoppd myself. There was definately something wrong with me if I was about to giggle. "You're doing something weird to me. Get away." I said, leaning away from Marco. Marco laughed a bit and nuzzled his face into my neck, "No I'm not. You're fine." I smirked, "Marco. Dude." "Stop that..." He said into my neck. I grinned, running a hand through his hair before prying him off of me. "God. I'm needy?" He laughed, "Yes. You are, Jean. I was just snuggling." I rolled my eyes. "Right." I said. "I'll leave you out here on the lake." He warned, smiling. "No!" I said, grabbing his arm. He laughed softly.

We soon got out of there, happily. And then we started walking around town. We eventually ended up at the same candy shop as before. Marco wanted to go in there for something for Lunetta, Noah, and Jonas so I waited outside. Connie called me while I was waiting. "Huh?" I answered. "Hey! How's Marco?" "If you want to know you can call him." I said. "Fine! How are YOU?" "Oh wow. You're asking me how I am?" Connie laughed, "Shut up and answer the question." I laughed. "I'm fine, dude." "Did you just laugh? What?" Oh shit. I cant sound so happy. "Yeah. Why?" I said, nervously. It was silent, "Did something happen?" He asked me. "Christmas was just fun. It's nice to relax for a bit. I'm not stressed out here." "Well..." Connie said, "That's good." "How was your Christmas?" I asked him. "It was good, man. Good times. How's the eating thing? Told Marco yet?" "It's actually been easier to eat for some reason." it was silent, "That's good, man." "Yeah. I havent told Marco yet but I will soon, hopefully." "Yeah, dude. I think you need to tell him soon, y'know?" I sighed, "Yeah but... I'll tell him when I'm ready." "Yeah." Connie agreed. Marco came out of the store then, with a bag. I nodded once at him and he smiled, walking over to me. "That's good, Connie." I said to him out of context, trying to hint that Marco was here. He sighed, picking up on it, thank God. Connie was becoming more observational. You kind of had to be, at this point, if you were going to be my friend. Marco smiled softly at me and took my hand, leading me away from the candy store. "So now that I know about you, can I ask how Marco is?" I sighed, "Fine. Shoot." "How is Marco?" He asked. "He's fine." Marco looked at me and I winked at him. He smirked and took my phone. I grinned as he said, "Connie?... Hey! How are you? How's Sasha?" He grinned slowly as Connie gave his answer. He laughed softly, really cutely. "Yeah. I get that. Fun. Okay. Well I dont want to hold you up for too long. I'll pass you back to Jean. Then Marco handed me my phone back. "Dude." Connie said to me immediately, "Sasha ate, like, all the cake on Christmas." "Why do you sound so surprised?" "Because it was scary. That's why. I mean, I expected it but it was still scary!" I laughed. After we ended our conversation and I hung up, Marco squeezed my hand, "You were so nice to him." I smirked at him, "I'm in a good mood, dork." He laughed softly. We headed more towards an iffy part of downtown. But we were going to be okay, I thought. I suddenly noticed out of the corner of my eyes, some guy who was with his friends, just drop a styrofoam cup on the grass. I stopped. Marco looked at me, "What?" I looked back at the guys and frowned. "That guy just littered." "Jean. Just ignore it." But that wasnt happening. I let go of Marco's hands and headed over, picking the cup up. Then I turned and threw it right at the back of that litterers head and yelled, "Hey! Throw away your shit, asshole!" I knew they were all bigger than me... But I could take them. The guy turned to me. "Hey! Did you just thrrow that shit?" He said, walking over to me. He was my height but he was big. "Yeah. I did, shit bag." Marco suddenly got between us, his back to me. "I'm sorry about him." He said to the douchebag, "He's just really passionate about keeping the environment healthy. I'll take care of that cup for yo-" He was cut off by this idiot punching him square in the jaw. Marco made this strange sound and stumbled back a bit. The shitbag laughed, "Queers." He said to his two friends and the other guys laughed, too. Oh now it was on. I knew Marco could take these assholes but he wouldnt do that. So I'd just have to take care of it myself. I stepped around to stand in front of Marco and kicked this douche right where it hurts. He made a strangled sound then his two buddies went for me. I was about to punch one of them in the face when the other one grabbed me by the hair. Wow! Okay. Now I know how Eren feels! He yanked me down to the sidewalk and I had the air knocked out of me as I was kicked in the side. "BOOPH!" I exclaimed. Then I saw Madco go for the guy who was kicking me. And holy shit it was scary to watch, even though I knew he was doing it to protect me. Marco punched that guy so hard that he was out cold. The douche I had kicked in the junk earlier pulled me to my feet, grabbing me by the collar and gettingg a good punch in to my nose. I struggled free of his grip and kicked him square in the stomach, grabbing his hair when he bent over and pulling it hard. Marco suddenly came out of nowhere, pushing this guy out of my grip, grabbing the front of his shirt, and pushing him up against the window of a closed shop. "I would leave if I were you." He said menacingly. The dude looked terrified now. I felt satisfied. "Do you hear me?" Marco said, slamming him against the window again. He nodded. Marco let him go then and he and his buddy grabbed their passed out friend and got the Hell out. I realized then that something wet was coming down my chin. I put a hand over my nose and saw when I pulled it away, that I was bleeding. Goddammit. Marco came over to me, grabbing me by the shoulders, "Are you okay? My God Jean you idiot! You need to learn how to ignore people!" He exclaimed. I looked at him. A bruise was forming on his jaw, and he had a few cuts. One on his cheekbone, across his nose, and above his eyebrow. I sighed, realizing that I caused this. "I'm sorry, Marco..." I said. He sighed softly, walking over and grabbing the bag that he dropped on the floor then he came back over to me and put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me back to where we had parked. I just held my nose. I was till pretty pissed off. "That asshole..." I said. Marco sighed, "Jean. People will be like that. You just have to ignore it." "I wont ignore it. It's frickin stupid." I said. "He punched you in the face, laughed about it, then called us queers, Marco!" Marco just rubbed my shoulders. "Did you break anything?" He asked me. "No." I said, annoyed, "I'm just fine." "Except for your bleeding nose and re-busted lip. Jean, they could have seriously hurt you." "You are seriously hurt, Marco." I said, "You're limping." He shook his head, "I dont care if I'm dying. I'm just worried about you." He unlocked the car when we arrived at it and got into the driver's seat. "Dude, your leg." "Stop calling me dude and it's fine. Get in the car." He was not amused. I obediently got into the passenger's seat.

When we got home, his parents were horrified and it turned out that Marco just had a sprained ankle, thank God. I still felt terrible for causing this, though. He was so much more hurt than I was. My nose wasn't broken but I wished it was. Marco felt really guilty so he stayed in his room the whole next day. I eventually psyched myself up and went in there, "Hey..." I said. He was working on his project and he looked at me and sighed, "Hey... How are you?" I smirked, "Fine." I came in, closing the door behind me. I headed over and sat at at the foot of his bed. "Look. I'm sorry, Marco. I didnt think." He smiled a bit, "It's okay. I'm just glad you're alright." I knew I was lucky I got away with a bloody nose and my lip busting again. "Yeah but you got hurt pretty bad..." I said, rubbing his ankle which was placed on a pillow and being iced underneath. He smiled softly, "I'm okay..." He said. "Thanks for helping me fight." I said. He laughed softly, "I couldnt just stand there. They werent going to listen to me after the way you provoked them. I thought I could calm that guy down by talking to him but... I got punched." He grinned a bit. "I know." I said, "That pissed me off." "You're sweet." He said. I traced Marco's ankle tattoo with my finger and looked at the piece he was working on. "It looks good." I said. He smiled. "Thank you." "Have you filled out the forms for that national competition yet?" He stared at me before shaking his head. "Marcoooo." He laughed, "Well I cant get up nooww!" He leaned his head back against the headboard of the bed. I smirked, "Lazy." "Sprained ankle." "That too. Where are the forms?" He pointed to the junk drawer that I had found out about before. I stood and went and opened the drawer, pulling the forms out of a manilla folder. "What else is in here?" I asked, putting the forms on the dresser. "Nothing interesting." He said. I didnt believe that but I closed the drawer, vowing to look through it later. I then grabbed the forms and flopped down next to Marco on the bed, putting the forms on top of his piece. He grinned at me then started filling them out. "Fine. Whatever, Jean. If ou really want me to..." "You have to." He chuckled softly. Someone knocked on the door. "Come in." Marco said. Lunetta pushed open the door and ran in. "Marco! Are you okay?" Ah yes. She was asleep when we went out and she had been out all day today with her parents. He smiled, "Yeah. I'm okay." Marco said. She climbed onto the bed and crawled over me, landing right in between Marco and myself. I smirked. "Whatcha doing?" She asked him. "Filling out things for an art competition." She then stood up on the bed. "No jumping." Marco said. So she jumped on his head. "Ahh!" He exclaimed, laughing and catching her. She laughed, too. "Why did you just body slam my head?" She just kept laughing. "Jeez!" She then stood back up and jumped onto me. "Oof!" I said as she flopped down into my lap. "I dont appreciate this." She giggled. "Marco! You have drawings on you!" She said, pointing to his tattooed wrist. He smiled a bit, "Yes I do." I smirked. I entertained Lunetta as Marco filled out the forms and she eventually left, closing the door behind her for once(because Marco told her to). "She is a handful." I said to Marco. He nodded, "Yes. But it's worth it. She's got such a bright future. I feel like putting up with her until she's older and more mature will be worth it." I smiled, "You're right." I agreed. "Here." Marco said, holding the packet of forms out to me, "Put these back in the drawer for me?" I stood, putting them back in thdrawer then floppin down next to him again. He smiled at me before starting to work on his project again. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and put one of my earbuds in, then I started flipping through Vine. I was following everyone in our class who had a Vine account. That was almost all of the class and the people who didnt have one, were usually in vines with other people in our class. Almost everyone was putting up vines of Christmas break. I never put up anything. I didnt even have one video posted. "Do you have a Vine account, Marco?" Marco looked at me, "No." He said, "Why?" I shrugged, "Just wondering. Almost everyone in our class, including me, has one and they're all posting Christmas shit right now. Plus birthday stuff for Bert." He grinned, leaning over and kissing my temple. I smirked, my face getting hot. "What are you kissing me for?" "Because you're cute." He said. I spluttered, "Cute? Fuck off!" Marco laughed, "That was so loud! Shush!" "You're fucking cute." I said to Marco. His face flushed red, "Thanks. But I doubt it." I rolled my eyes. "You are, dude." He smacked my shoulder. "Wha-?" "Stop calling me 'dude'!" I sighed, "Why are you so against that word?" "Because I'm your boyfriend! You only call friends 'dude'!" My face gor really hot. That's right... Marco was my 'boyfriend'. Holy shit. I made some weird squeaking sound. It would have been a lot worse if I hadnt held that loud squeal back. Marco looked at me with a "what was that sound?" expression. Marco opened his mouth to say something annoying so I cut him off with, "Eat my shorts!" He laughed. "That is not appropriate." He said. I smirked, "Whatever." "Come here." He said, holding his arm out to me. "No." I said. He smirked, "Please, Jean?" I sighed a bit, contemplating before I scooted closer to him. I needed to be nice. He was hurt. He smiled and kissed my cheek, putting his arm around my shoulders. Weirdo. I decided that Marco needed a break from his work. So I grabbed the board and Marco lifted his pen off of the paper quickly as I pulled his peice away from him. "What are you doing?" "You should take a break. You're almost done with this peice." He closed the pen and put it on the side table. I put his peice up against the wooden closet then turned and when I saw his smirk, my face got hot. "What?" I said. "You're cute. That's what." I frowned, "Stop saying that." "No. Now come here." He said, holding his arms out to me. "And if I dont?" I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow. "I'll get up and probably hurt my ankle again." He said. Dammit. I rolled my eyes and headed over to him. "Fine." He chuckled softly and pulled me down next to him. "Aww you caarree." He said, hugging me tightly. "Of course I do, you friggin idiot! Now get off of me!" He laughed and let go.

The next day was the 31st and the kids werent as excited about New Years. Obviously. I was just excited to potentially get to drink something alchoholic without looking like an asshole. Marco's family was cooking all day. It was around noon when I was asked to help. Camelia, Rosetta, and Marco's grandma were cooking(I know. It was all women. None of the guys were cooking.) "Jean! Would you mind helping us?" Rosetta said into the living room. Marco smiled at me and I smiled back, standing and heading into the kitchen. "Would you mind rinsing off and cutting those up?" Camelia asked me, nodding to some vegetables. "Yeah. No problem." I washed my hands then started rinsing off the vegetables. "So why arent any of the other guys helping?" I asked. Camelia giggled, "They're not skilled enough." I laughed, "What makes you think I am? I think I've cut vegetables once in my life." "Well I would ask Marco but I dont want him to stand for too long on that foot. I know it's healed but... I'm a mom, you know." I nodded, "Yeah I get it. My mom'd be the same way." "What is your mother like?" Camelia asked, smiling at me and wiping down the stove so she could start cooking on it. I chuckled as I took the vegetables to the cutting board. "Well... She's pretty great. She's an accepting lady. A bit awkward, she seems cruel, but she's really very generous and kind." Camelia nodded, "What do your parents do?" "My mom is a doctor and my dad is a lawyer." Camelia looked a bit shocked, "Really? Wow. How impressive." "I guess." I responded. "So you come from a wealthy family?" She asked me. I nodded, "Yeah." "Wow. It all makes sense now." She said. I laughed, "What do you mean?" She laughed, too. "Oh I dont mean anything by it, honey." She said, smiling and putting a pot on the stove. I grinned. Marco definately got his humor from his mother. She was awesome. "I'm really glad that you two are together now." She said. I felt my face get hot. "Marco's such a nice kid. I think he deserves the best." She raised anneyebrow at me as she said this. I knew she was talking about the fighting. I sighed, "Y-Yes ma'am." If his mother wasnt happy with Marco getting into fights, I should really try not to confront people so often. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder and I jumped qnd turned and Marco was there. "Dude!" I exclaimed, "My God you scared me!" He laughed. "Sorry!" He then said to his mother, "It's okay. You dont have to try and give Jean warnings. Because, first of all, he wont listen-" "Hey!" "-Also, I want to be able to protect him so I dont mind..." I felt my face get hotter and I rolled my eyes, continuing to cut vegetables. "I'm not saying you cant protect him." Camelia said, "I'm just telling him to be more careful. I dont want either of you to get hurt." "Thank you, mother." Marco said, "Can I help you with anything?" "I think we got it, honey." She responded. "Alright." Marco said, "Good luck, Jean." He then kissed my cheek and squeezed my shoulder before going back into the living room. I learned that Marco's dad worked as a construction worker and he also worked in retail. So I understood the money issue. Camelia was a stay at home mom. After I cut up the vegetables, Camelia said she didnt need anymore help so I headed back into the living room.

"Jean." Marco said, standing up off of the couch, "Help me with laundry?" I groaned, "But I just helped with food. "Oh man up, Jeanny-boy!" Marco's uncle exclaimed. Marco grinned. "I cant be so nice for so often." I said, heading into the bedroom to grab my dirty clothes. Marco followed me and grabbed his own clothes then lead me to the laundry room. "Put your datks, whites, and colors in seperate hampers, please." He said. Then he waited for me to seperate my own clothes before he seperated his clothes into each hamper. Marco then smiled softly at me and bumped our noses together before kissing me for a breif moment. I smiled and felt my face get hot. Marco grabbed the darks and dumped them into the washing machine, putting in soap then closing the machine and turning it on. Then he came over to me and hugged me close. I smirked and hugged him back. I was glad that I was only, like, an inch shorter than this guy because I couldnt even imagine how small I would feel if I was actually significantly shorter. Mike suddenly came bounding in and he jumped up on us. "Ahh!" I exclaimed, "Nooo!" Marco laughed, pulling away from me and grabbing onto Mike. "Aww! C'mere!" "How can you do that?" I exclaimed. Marco grinned at me, "Getting Mike was my idea so I can handle him." I grimaced, "Big dogs arent my forte." He pouted, "Why not?" "Because they're scary. I'm not a giant fan of dogs in general. All the dogs I've met belonged to old rich ladies and they were always so loud and bitey." Marco nodded, "I get that." He then let Mike go and the three of us headed back out into the living room. "Hey, Jean!" Marco's mother called from in the kitchen. "Yes, ma'am?" I answered. "How old are you?" Dammit. She was checking if I could have alchohol or not. I sighed. "20." "Alright!" She responded. Marco smacked my shoulder, clearly having thoughts about alchohol, too. "Jean. I didnt know that you were 20!" I rolled my eyes and looked at him, "Good job keeping up with your boyfriend." Marco turned red, "Sorry. I didnt know you couldnt drink yet. I thought you could... You were on the younger side of your graduating class, huh?" I nodded. Yeah. I was the baby of my class. Not very fun.

We ate an amazing dinner(I know I say that a lot but it's true. It's always amazing). I did get some wine, thank God. Marco's mom was cool. It was alright. I drank a glass but I was never a big fan of wine. Marco, Lunetta, and Rosetta went outside to play in the snow and watch the fireworks that were starting up. I felt really privileged to be here. And also like I didnt deserve it... I was such an asshole and these people were so down to earth. I decided to go see what Marco was doing so I pulled on my blue coat, my green beanie with snowflakes on it, black scarf, and black gloves. Then I pulled on my boots. I stepped outside just as Lunetta ran back in, followed by her mother who smiled at me as she passed. Marco was sitting on the snow in the front yard and there were fireworks going off nonstop. I smiled softly and closed the door behind me then I put my hands in my pockets, stepping down the front stairs, the snow crunching under my feet. I headed over to him, stepping causiously in the ice and flopping down next to Marco. "Hey." I said. He looked at me and smiled. "Hey!" He exclaimed. He had his brown jacket on, white ear muffs, red gloves, and his green scarf. "What're you doing out here alone? Everyone went in." Marco looked back up at the fireworks and shrugged. "I was planning on going back in but... Now you're here so..." I felt my face get hot and I half smiled. He was so flirty sometimes. Even when we were just friends he did this shit that made my blush like a frickin teenage girl. He looked at me. "Ever kissed anyone on New Years?" He asked me. I laughed softly. "Yeah. But... Not with you." I responded. Marco turned red and laughed. Well, redder than he already was from the cold kissing his face. "Well... Then..." I snickered. Fucking idiot. Just ask me if you want to kiss me at midnight. "Of course I'll kiss you at midnight, Marco." I said, scooting closer to him. He laced his fingers wih mine. God I didnt deserve this... Then we heard from, it seemed like everywhere, people yelling, "10...! 9...! 8...! 7...!" The fireworks went crazy, "6...! 5...! 4...! 3...! 2...! 1...! HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Then everyone cheered and Marco leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. I leaned into the kiss and squeezed his hand, letting my eyes flutter closed. And God it was a good kiss... I was actually kind of disapointed and really exhilarated when he pulled away after a few moments. We ended up just staring at eachother for a moment then Marco laughed softly and I grinned. "Jean... I love you. Happy New Year." "Cheesy nerd." Was my response and Marco laughed more and hugged me close. I smirked and hugged him back. Goddammit I fucking loved this cheesy nerd... "Love you, too, Marco..." I said. And he squeezed me slightly tighter.


	24. Ten Steps at a Time CH 14 (Marco)

On Christmas Eve, Lunetta was extremely hyper. And my grandparents on my father's side came in. Plus, my uncle on my father's side came in with his two sons. My grandmother was short with a grey bun atop her head, brown eyes, and light skin. My grandfather was a tall man with grey hair and a very receeding hairline and hazel eyes. My other uncle was short and had light brown, almost blonde, hair and hazel eyes. His two little boys, who were nine, were twins with blue eyes and shaggy dirty blonde hair. My uncle's name was Roger and the boys were Noah and Jonas. All three of the children were very excited for Christmas and they jumped around a lot. Jean and I eventually decided that we would go take a walk. So we pulled on our jackets, shoes, gloves, and scarfs. Jean pulled on his green beanie with snowflakes on it and I put on earmuffs. When we walked out and I closed the door behind us, we both breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh my God your cousins are insane..." Jean said, walking down the porch steps. I laughed and followed, "I know." I said as we stepped onto the sidewalk and started walking, side by side. "But they're cute." I finished. He smirked, "Yeah. Cute." I laughed at that. "Hey!" I said. He grinned at me. He was so cute... I really wanted to date him... "I like how your family yells at eachother in italian." He said. I grinned. "Yeah. My poor grandparents that are here dont know the language, though. So they're always so confused." We both laughed. I wondered the if Jean spoke any other language. "Jean. Do you speak any other languages?" I asked. "French." Sexy. "It came in handy when I had to have a foreign language class. I'm fluent in it so I just picked French and made a C in the class, overall." What? I laughed at that. "Why did you make a C?" He grinned. "I didnt do anything, that's why. What did you make in your foreign language class?" I smirked at him, "I was valedictorian, Jean. I got all A's every year." "Well fine then Mr. Smartypants." I laughed a bit. "Man..." He suddenly said, "Mattheius must be missing you. You were good for their school." I smirked. "Right..." I said. Jean shivered softly and blew into his hands, then rubbed them together then shoved them into his pockets. "Are your hands cold?" I asked. "Yeah. My gloves suck." He was too cute. I then held my hands out to him. He raised an eyebrow and gave me his hands. I held his hands in my own, contently. "Thanks." He said. We reached the end of the sidewalk on the familiar dead end street. "Why are we here?" Jean asked. "C'mon." I said, letting my hands go and trudging through the snow to the metal fence blocking us from the hill on the other side. This place brought back memories. Jean followed me. "My friends and I used to come to this hill all the time. There's a giant tree on the otherside that we would always climb." I said as I climbed up the gate and plopped down on the otherside. I remembered Mina and Thomas throwing snowballs. Hitch and I built a fort to block their attacks. We all laughed. I remember crying here, my friends comforting me... I also remembered doing... Something else here during the summer between my junior and senior years of highschool. With a guy I cant remember... I sighed softly and pulled myself back to reality, smiling at Jean and saying, "Come on." "I dont know about this." Jean said hesitantly, "I'll probably break myself or the fence." He climbed up the fence shakily. I was prepared to catch him if he needed it. He jumped down, landing on his butt. I helped him up. That didnt look easy for him. "You alright?" I asked. He brushed himself off. "Yeah. I'm cool." "You arent cool, Jean. But I'm glad you're alright." I said, walking past him and towards the hill. Suddenly, something cold pelted the back of my head. I jerked around to look at him, nearly tripping. He was half smiling, with crossed arms. "Oh. Really? It's like that?" I said, realizing that he just threw a snowball at me. I leaned down and bunched up some snow together. "Dont you dare." He warned. I grinned, throwing the snowball. He clearly tried to get out of the way but I could aim well. It hit him square in the face. I cracked up as he wiped his face. The he started heading up the hill towards me. "Stay away!" I exclaimed, running up the remainder of the hill and down the other side. I saw the familiar tree that I loved and made a way to it, hiding behind the trunk from Jean, expecting him to be able to see me. I heard crunching footsteps and I got prepared by grabbed a ton of snow and packingn it together, holding it in my arms. "Marco. Seriously? This was your hiding spot?" I heard Jean say, walking around the trunk. I attacked, then, throwing the massive pile of snow at his face. He stumbled and fell down with an, "OOMPH!" His face was pink from the cold and he looked up at me with surprised eyes. Cute cute! I laughed and stood over him. "My God!" He yelled. I laughed as Jean stood up. I couldnt stop laughing. He was so cute and that was so perfect. Suddenly, a hand grabbed the collar of my jacket. I stopped laughing, looking at the man in front of me with wide eyes, trying to process what was happening. Jean pushed me so my back was against the tree. I felt my face get extremely hot. What was he doing? "J-Jean?" He put his hands on the trunk of the tree on either side of me, staring at my face. Please dont kiss me... Please dont make it more complicated... We just stared at eachother for a few moments before Jean suddenly reached up and shook a tree branch above us, backing up quickly and laughing as the snow fell down on my head. "AHH! JEAN! You-!" I yelled, trying to sheild myself as I stumbled out from under the branch. Oh my God noo! He was so dead. I looked at him with wide eyes and I knew that Jean knew it, too. When I started walking towards him, however, he ran to the otherside of the tree. I walked around it, not seeing him anymore. Then something blonde caught my attention and I looked up at Jean. Who was sitting in the tree. I laughed. "You're going to hide from me in a tree?" He grinned and hissed at me. I rolled my eyes. "Jean, you're so strange." He smirked, "You're strange." I climbed up the tree and sat on the branch next to him. "Hey." I said. He looked at me skeptically, "You're not going to push me off, are you?" I laughed softly. "No I'm not going to push you off... Your hands must be freezing." "I dont trust you right now." He said. I reached above us and shook a branch. The snow fell on both of us. I laughed but Jean jerked, almost falling off of the branch. I grabbed him quickly, pulling him back, then holding him close to my chest. His face got pinker than it already was. "You okay?" I asked him, my eyebrows knitting together, "Sorry. I didnt think you'd fall..." Jean took a chilly breath. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine, Marco." I smiled softly at him, happy that he was okay, and wiped snow off of his jacket and hair. Then I caught his eye. Oh no... I stared at him. Nono... I had to ask him out now... Or else it would be really awkward. I sighed softly, contemplating whether to kiss him first or ask him out first. I looked at his lips... They were chapped and pink and so attractive... My face felt hot... Screw it. I grabbed the front of his jacket and pressed my lips against his' hard. I closes my eyes tightly. I suddenly felt him kiss me back, placing a hand on one of my knees and his other hand in my hair. I felt his breath blow gently on my face as I pulled away from the kiss slowly. "Jean..." I said. He opened his eyes and looked at me. "Do you want to-" "Wait!" He suddenly exclaimed. I was confused. Wait? "Shut up. I'm asking. Not the other way around. Do you want to go out with me?" He said. I blinked, processing, before laughing softly and feeling my face get hotter. "Yeah." I said, "I do. Really bad." He grinned. Thank the heavens.

I suddenly realized that... Jean sounded like he was planning on asking me out. "Wait..." I said, "How long have you-" "Been wanting to ask?" He interuppted, "For fucking ages." I smiled a bit and my face got really hot. "I just had to wait for Connie to ask Sasha out." What? I blinked and looked at him then I realized... My eyes widened. "You just asked the person the thing..." He laughed and nodded. "Yep." I smacked his shoulder. "You are such a nerd!" He laughed harder, "Hey! That hurt!" "It did not." I disagreed, "And I like you a lot. You couldve asked me out at anytime!" "I didnt know!" He exclaimed, laughing. I suddenly thought about the ice skating event that happened every year. I smirked and took his hands, holding them in my own. "We should go to this annual ice skating event downtown." I said. He smirked at me, "I was actually gonna ask you if you wanted to do that." "Really?" I said, smiling at him. He nodded and half smiled. That half smile, though. "Thomas mentioned it to me so I wanted to do that with you. I was actually gonna confess after that." I smiled a bit. "You nerd." I said. He smirked at me, "You're the nerd." I laughed softly. "So." He started, "How long have you been wanting to get with me?" I smirked. "You talk like you're better than everyone else, Jean." He grinned, "I am officially in a relationship with, apparently, the nicest person on the planet. According to everyone in our class and your friends here at home." What? I laughed softly and my face got hotter than it already was. "I am not." "So you're saying I'm not the best because I'm not with the nicest guy on the planet?" He said. I grinned, "Yes. You're not the best because of that." He smirked. "You gonna answer my question or not?" I laughed softly, thinking for a moment, before saying, "Right. Um... My intentions were to be in a romantic relationship with you from the start." He raised an eyebrow. "Wait, seriously?" I smiled and nodded. "You're crazy. You could have asked me out this whole time." I laughed and said, "Jean. I tried on multiple occassions. And I was gonna try again during the break, obviously. I just tried to then you cut me off so you could be the man." He laughed. "I had already planned it, Marco. Get out of my face." I grinned, "Well I was planning it, too. So. Sorry." "Fight me!" He exclaimed. I laughed, "I'm not going to do that." "Come on! Punch my shoulder!" "Jean. No." He looked like he was serious but I ddnt want to hurt him, "I want to feel how hard you can hit." I smirked, "I dont want to hurt you." "You wont. I've been tackled by Reiner." I sighed softly then he balled up my fist. Jean would not ever let this go, "Jean..." I warned. "Go!" He suddenly yelled. So I punched his shoulder with half the amount of force that I could. I didnt want to really hurt him. "OW! Shit!" He exclaimed, putting a hand over his shoulder, "Woah! You hit hard!" "You made me!" I said, pushing his hand off of his shoulder, and rubbing it gently. "I'm fine, dude." I knitted my eyebrows together. "It's fine, Marco. I told you to do it." "Yeah and I shouldnt have. I'm supposed to be the responsible one." He laughed, "Hey!" I grinned. Dating Jean would not help my new issue with cursing and stubborness. Which he caused in the first place. I sighed softly. He was so attractive and funny and... God. Amazing. I thought so, at least. The way the light hits his golden eyes perfectly. The way he would wrinkle his nose unconsciously when he was thinking about something... The perfect flush he got when he was embarassed... The passion in him for protecting those he cares about... I was falling and crashing for this man. I was in too deep now. I couldnt get out of this. Stress suddenly hit me when I noticed Jean run a hand through his hair, sticking his nose up in the air for a moment and sniffing casually, looking so... Snobby. This relationship would not be easy.

The next morning, I was asleep, warm, with Jean, when there was sudden screaming. I jolted awake and so did Jean. We both sat up quickly. My cousins were jumping on our bed, I processed groggily and confused. Jean looked pissed. He was squinting and gripping onto the sheet and comforter. "Guys...!" I exclaimed to them, "Get outta here...!" "But it's Christmas!" Lunetta screamed. I sighed and got up. "Where's your shirt!?" Noah exclaimed, jumping onto my back. "OOF!" I exclaimed as he caught the little monster. "In my drawer you weirdo." "You dont sleep with a shirt? Mr. Jean had one!" I had run out of night shirts so I had to do laundry today. However, last night, I just decided to go without. "You dont have to be so formal with him. He doesnt deserve that." I said. "Hey!" Jean exclaimed. I let Noah down onto the floor. "Go." I said, "We'll be out in a minute." Then the three of them ran out. I closed the door behind them then turned to Jean, smirking. "Does that happen every time?" He asked. "Yep." I said, "I should have been prepared." I went over to the dresser, pulling a t-shirt out and I was just about to put it on when Jean said, "Marco." And I looked at him, "Where did that scar come from? I mean, I dont want to assume..." Oh right. The scar... I had almost forgot about the fact that it was showing last night. I smiled softly. "It's okay. It's from the accident. Glass is dangerous." He nodded. "Okay. I was just wondering." "Yeah." I said, pulling on the red v-neck and a pair of jeans. Then I went out into the hall, stepping into the bathroom to put on deodorant and brush my teeth. As I came out of the bathroom, my mother yelled, "Marco! Breakfast is ready!" "Okay, mom!" I yelled back. Then I went down the hall back to my room, hearing something slam from inside. Um. What? I opened the door and saw Jean getting his phone from the outlet on the other side of my bed. I smiled at him. "Hey. C'mon. Breakfast is ready." He smiled and came out of the room, closing the door behind him, then following me down the hall. Almost everyone was awake. "We have to eat first." My aunt was saying to my cousins. "Noooo!" Lunetta exclaimed. "Come on. Come sit at the table." "Marco. Come help me with the table." My dad said. So I headed over and the two of us folded the table out so it was twice the size it was before. Everyone took their seats and my mother started serving breakfast just as my grandparents came in. "Good morning!" My mom said. "Good morning." My grandma responded. Then the two of them took their seats. I looked at Jean. He looked extremely awkward. As per usual. He was really stiff around my family. So I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek right before we started eating to hopefully calm him down. "Did it happen?" Mom asked, looking at me with wide eyes. I nodded, smiling and feeling my face get hot. Jean turned pink. "We win!" My dad suddenly yelled at my aunt and uncle. "Darn!" My uncle exclaimed. "What?" I askes. My aunt and uncle suddenly pulled their wallets out of their pockets and put a twenty each down in front of my parents. Had they been betting? "Guys!" I exclaimed. Jean just cracked up. "Amazing!" He yelled. My parents laughed, too and Jean covered his mouth. After breakfast, the kids immediarely went to the presents under the tree. I didnt get anything from Jean but that was okay. He would be getting something from me when we got back to school.

The post Christmas depression set in after a few days passed. Finally, it was the 29th, the day we would go ice skating. We drove downtown at around seven to get to the ice skating event. I drove and Jean was in the passenger's seat. I was staring, wide eyed, at the road the whole time, trying to focus. We got downtown but I managed to park very crookedly. We had to switch places so Jean could park us correctly. I felt really bad about it so I was apologizing for what I did until Jean put a hand over my mouth for a breif moment. I stopped talking and Jean said, "Dude it's fine." Then got out, taking the keys with him. I sighed, getting out and catching up with Jean as he locked the car, handing me the keys afterwards. There was that word again. "Dont call me 'dude' anymore, Jean." I said, taking his hand as we walked along and smiling a bit. He smirked, "Fine. What do you want me to call you?" I shrugged, "I dont know. Not 'dude', though." He squeezed my hand. "Right." "Are we gonna tell Connie and Sasha?" I asked. Jean just grinned, "I dont know. Connie didnt tell me for like, twenty seven days after he started dating Sasha. Let's not tell anyone and make them think we're still just friends." I laughed softly, "That's so mean but okay." "Yes!" He exclaimed, "Thank you!" I smiled at him. "I'm paying for it." Jean suddenly said as we approached the temporary stand in front of the lake where we had to pay and get our skates. There were only two people on the ice at the moment. "Jean. No." I said, "I'm paying for myself." "Nope." Jean responded, stepping aside so people could get past us as we stood there. Jean pulled his wallet out of his pocket and slid his golden credit card out from it's holder. "Jean-" "Marco, I literally have too much money. I could buy a house and have enough left to buy, like, twenty seven more." Oh? I raised an eyebrow at him and asked, "Cottages or mansions?" "The house I made for my still life." He responded. That was a fancy house. "Okay so a mansion." I said. "I dont live in a mansion." He said. I raised an eyebrow, "You dont live in that tiny stick house to begin with." Jean laughed. "No! I did a replica of my own house with that still life!" "Ohh!" I said, laughing, "You live in a nice house, Jean." Jean smirked, "Yeah it's annoying." I smiled a bit and kissed his nose. He smirked and turned pink. Then he went over to pay for the both of us. I hummed softly, waiting, when Jean exclaimed, "Marco!" I looked up and came over, "Hm?" I asked. "What shoe size are you?" "Ten." I responded. "Ten and nine." He said to the lady. He was so cute... I took his hand as the lady went to go grab our skates. Jean looked at me. His face was pink from the cold. I smiled at him then kissed the top of his head. "Dont do that." He said, "It feels like I'm small when you do that." I smirked as the woman came back and placed the skates on the desk. Way to bring the tone down. "Alright." She said, "Here you go." I let Jean's hand go and grabbed both pairs of skates, heading over to a bench. "I hope you realize I've never skated before and I'll probably die tonite." Jean said, following behind me, as I sat down and handed him his skates. I laughed softly, "You'll be fine, silly." Jean sat next to me. "Have you ice skated before?" He asked me. This question. I pulled on one of the skates, "Yep. I used to take figure skating lessons and I came down here every year." I saw Jean's expression turn to shock. "You were learning how to figure skate?" "Yeah." I said, lacing up the shoes. Jean pulled his own on. "I did it from... Uhm... The fourth grade to the eighth grade." I continued: "Why'd you stop?" He asked. I shrugged, "I lost my passion for it. Plus, it was vigorous training by the eighth grade and I started not being able to have free time. It was, wake up, go to shool, come home and do homework, then go to practice. And on the weekends, practice was nearly all day. So I quit." I saw Jean grin out of the corner of my eye. Dork. "Ballet was also something I did." I mentioned as I finished lacing up my shoes and waited for Jean to lace up his shoes. "Really?" He asked. "Yeah. I had ice skating every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Then ballet the other days. And both Sunday and Saturday were devoted to skating. I did ballet theough my senior year, though. Didnt give that up. I was actually still practicing in Texas at Mattheius but I couldnt find any places that I liked in Coirtney's area." "No wonder." He said. I smirked at him, "No wonder what?" "No wonder you're so gay." I laughed and Jean grinned again, "Kidding. No wonder you're so graceful." I smiled. "Need some help?" I said, noticing that he was having with the skates. "No!" He suddenly yelled, "Get away! I can do it!" I jumped in surprise and laughed, "Calm down! Okay!" We sat there for a few more minutes. I got kind of impatient, to be honest. More of Jean rubbing off on me, I suppose. And I grabbed his foot, pulling it onto my lap. "Dude!" He said, "I dont respond to that anymore." I responded, tying his shoe. I saw him smirk. I smiled slightly and then he grabbed his other foot and tied the laces for that one, too. I then stood, "Do you need help walking?" "Dont sass me." He said, standing. I laughed softly, "I'm not! I was genuinely asking." He sighed, contemplating, before he held his arms out to me. I smiled, pulling him onto my feet. He managed to get on the ice well enough. But he kept falling. Jean hadnt been lying when he said that he'd never skated before. Eventually, he decided to just sit on the edge of the lake. "Show me some of your ice skating things." He said to me at one point. I laughed softly, "Really?" "Yeah. I'm interested." He grinned at me. Fine. I took off my earmuffs and scarf and threw them at the blonde. Jean caught them, "Wow okay. Eager." He said. I just smiled. I was glad that there were barely any people because that meant there was a very low chance of me destroying someone's loved one. It suddenly dawned on me that I hadnt done this in a while and I sighed. "I might fall. I havent done this in more than two years." Jean smirked, "Good. We'll be even if you fall twenty seven more times." "You are obsessed with that number." I said, laughing and recalling his streak of the number 27. He grinned. "Go!" I skated away from him. I skated around before actually preparing to go into a jump. I had to prepare myself. I should have stretched before this. But I couldnt have known. I ended up going into the jump without really being prepared. I jumped and spun in the air once(a really bad spin)and landed wrong, tripping and falling on my butt. "You alright?" I heard Jean yell. Gosh darnit. I gave Jean a thumbs up then stood wobbily. I started warming up again, skating around the lake and waiting until I was actually ready. Then I went into the jump, spun(terribly), and landed very shakily, but managing to stay upright. Not good. I didnt want to yell at Jean from across the area so I skated over to him, stopping in front of him, and saying, "I can do a better one than that." Jean had wide eyes and a very pink face, "Are you kidding me?" He exclaimed, "That one was amazong!" I laughed softly, "Thank you but... It was pretty bad." "I thought it was gorgeous." He disagreed. He was so sweet... I kissed the top of his head and in return, I got smacked in the face. "Hey!" I exclaimed, "What was that for?" "For kissing my head! I said no!" "But you called me 'dude' two times. We're even now." I said. "Fine! Dont do it again!" He exclaimed. I grabbed my scarf and earmuffs, putting them on. "C'mon." I said, grabbing my boyfriend's hands and pulling him up. He smirked as I pulled him around the lake. "I'm just gonna fall." He said. I smirked a bit at the cutie, "And I'll help you up, clumsy." He did almost fall. But I was there. And I grabbed him, pulling him close to my chest. He smirked softly at me, holding onto my arms. He was so beautiful... I couldnt get over it... I smiled and kissed his cheek. "You're doing something weird to me. Get away." Jean said, turning a dark pink and leaning away from me. I laughed a bit and nuzzled his face into his neck, "No I'm not. You're fine." Jean smirked, "Marco. Dude." "Stop that..." I breathed into his neck. I felt him rake a hand through my hair before trying to pry me off of him. "God. I'm needy?" He asked. I laughed, "Yes. You are, Jean. I was just snuggling." He rolled his eyes. "Right." He said. "I'll leave you out here on the lake." I warned, smiling. "No!" He said, grabbing my arm. I laughed softly.

We soon left the ice skating rink, walking around, and ended up at the same candy shop as before. Which was perfect because I needed to go in and get some candy for my cousins. So I went in and Jean waited out front. I gathered what I knew my cousins would appreciate. Then my eyes locked on that stupid singing pickle again. I smiled softly, pulling it off of the shelf. Darn. This thing was ridiculous. It was the exact one as before, I noticed. The packaging had the same dents on it as before. I sighed, realizing what I had to do. So I took everything to check out and paid for it all, hiding the pickle at the bottom of the bag, under the candy, then walking back over to my boyfriend. He nodded once at me and I smiles, walking over to him and realizing that he was on the phone. "That's good, Connie." He said. I smiled softly at him and took his hand, leading him away from the candy store. Jean sighed, "Fine. Shoot." He said to Connie. It was quiet then Jean said, "He's fine." He's talking about me. I looked at him and he winked at me. I smirked and took his phone. He grinned as I said, "Connie?... Hey! How are you? How's Sasha?" I grinned slowly as Connie said, "Hey, bro! I'm good! Sasha's good! A massive handful, as per the usual. I'm just taking a walk right now. Trying to get away from my annoying family." I laughed softly. "Yeah. I get that. Fun. Okay. Well I dont want to hold you up for too long. I'll pass you back to Jean." Then I handed Jean his phone back. It was silent as Jean smirked and said to Connie, "Why do you sound so surprised?" It was quiet again then Jean laughed. After they ended their conversation and hung up, I squeezed his hand, "You were so nice to him." I said. He smirked at me, "I'm in a good mood, dork." I laughed softly. We headed more towards an iffy part of downtown. If we just ignored whoever was down here, we'd be okay. After a while, Jean stopped walked. I looked at him, "What?" I asked. He was looking at a group of three dudes who were larger than him. He was frowning. "That guy just littered." I sighed, "Jean. Just ignore it." But he let go of my hand and headed over, picking the cup up. Nonono, Jean. Please dont. Jean suddenly turned and threw the cup right at the back of one of the guys' heads and yelled, "Hey! Throw away your shit, asshole!" No, Jean... Crap... I was kind of paralyzed... The were all bigger than my blonde boyfriend... The guy turned to Jean. No... I dont want to have to hit them. "Hey! Did you just thrrow that shit?" He said, walking over to Jean. He was extremely muscley. Damn. They were going to beat eachother up. "Yeah. I did, shit bag." I stepped between the two of them, my back to Jean, in order to protect him. "I'm sorry about him." I said to the guy, "He's just really passionate about keeping the environment healthy. I'll take care of that cup for yo-" Suddenly, I felt a hard pain in my jaw as my head jerked back and I dropped my bag of goodies from the candy shop... I stumbled and groaned in pain. Oh my God. That hurt. He had just punched me. Really hard. I heard the guy laugh and say, "Queers." And the other guys laughed, too. No. I'm okay with people messing with me but... Not Jean. I suddenly saw blonde fluff cloud my vision as Jean stepped around to stand in front of me, kicking the laughing guy right in the twiddle diddles. He made a strangled sound then his two buddies went for Jean. My head was spinning. I desperately tried to gather myself. I needed to focus. Suddenly, I saw Jean being held by his hair and then one guy coming for me. I acted on reflex and punched him at least four times in the face. It was enough to stun him as I realized that Jean was lying, curled on the floor, with another guy kicking him. Anger boiled in my stomach. Fuck these guys. I took in Jean's pained expression and it was more than enough to get me to wind up the biggest Falcon Punch in the history of Nintendo. I pelted that guy so hard in the face with my fist, that he was out cold. Then the guy who I had stunned earlier in the brawl came for me again. I dodged him, managing to trip and hurt my ankle badly in the process. But I kicked his legs out from under him with my good foot. As he struggled to get up, I noticed Jean pulling on the hair of the main guy who had littered in the first place. All this hair pulling was starting to get girly. What was this? A mini game for Barbie goes to Fashion Week. Teresa kept stealing the cookies so Barbie had to fuck her up? I growled, jumping up and pushing this guy out of Jean's grip, grabbing the front of his shirt, and slamming him up against the window of a closed shop. "I would leave if I were you." I said as menacingly as I could muster. My foot was dying. The guy looked pretty horrified now. That was actually pretty satisfying... "Do you hear me?" I said, ramming him against the window again. He nodded. I let him go then and he and his buddy grabbed their passed out friend and got out of there. I sighed shakily, trying to catch my breath. I looked over at Jean. He had blood streaming down his mouth and chin from his nose and his lip had re-busted. His hair was very messed up. Darn. If his nose was broken... I was going to kill him. Jean put a hand over his nose, pulling it back and looking at it. I limped over to him and grabbed him by the shoulders, "Are you okay? My God Jean you idiot! You need to learn how to ignore people!" I exclaimed. I was so worried that I was shaking. He looked at me, studying my face. He sighed. "I'm sorry, Marco..." He said. I sighed softly, gulping and walking over and grabbing the bag that I had dropped on the sidewalk then I came back over to Jean and put my arm around his shoulders, pulling him back to where we had parked. I was limping really bad. I winced whenever my foot landed to hard. God it hurt. Jean just held his nose. "That asshole..." Jean said. I sighed, "Jean. People will be like that. You just have to ignore it." "I wont ignore it. It's frickin stupid." He said. "He punched you in the face, laughed about it, then called us queers, Marco!" I rubbed his shoulders, trying to relax him. "Did you break anything?" I asked. "No." He said, bitterly, "I'm just fine." "Except for your bleeding nose and re-busted lip. Jean, they could have seriously hurt you." "You are seriously hurt, Marco." He said, noticing my foot, "You're limping." I shook my head, "I dont care if I'm dying. I'm just worried about you." I unlocked the car when we arrived at it and got into the driver's seat. "Dude, your leg." Jean said. "Stop calling me dude and it's fine. Get in the car." I responded, frustrated. He obediently got into the passenger's seat, thank God.

My parents were not best pleased with my state of injury. I just had a sprained ankle, it turned out. But it didnt matter because I still got hurt. I cleaned up the cuts on my face, covering them up. Now that it was over, I felt really guilty and I didnt want to be around people. So I stayed in my room the next day and worked on my peices. It was around four when Jean opened the door and said, "Hey..." "Hey..." I responded, studying his face and sighing, "How are you?" He smirked, "Fine." He then came in, closing the door behind him, then heading over and sitting at at the foot of my bed. "Look. I'm sorry, Marco. I didnt think." He suddenly said. I smiled a bit, "It's okay. I'm just glad you're alright." "Yeah but you got hurt pretty bad..." He said, rubbing my ankle gently that was placed on a pillow and being iced underneath. I smiled softly, "I'm okay..." I said. "Thanks for helping me fight." He responded and I laughed softly, "I couldnt just stand there. They werent going to listen to me after the way you provoked them. I thought I could calm that guy down by talking to him but... I got punched." I grinned a bit. "I know." He said, "That pissed me off." "You're sweet." I said. I felt Jean's finger trace the dandelion on my ankle. He looked at the piece I was working on. "It looks good." He said. I smiled. "Thank you." "Have you filled out the forms for that national competition yet?" Oh man... I stared at him before shaking my head. "Marcoooo." He groaned. I laughed, "Well I cant get up nooww!" I said, leaning my head back against the headboard of the bed. He smirked, "Lazy." "Sprained ankle." "That too. Where are the forms?" He asked me. I pointed to the junk drawer of mine that was in the dresser. Everyone has one of those, right? He stood and went and opened the drawer, pulling the forms out the manilla folder. "What else is in here?" He asked, putting the forms on the dresser. "Nothing interesting." I responded. He grabbed the forms and flopped down next to me on the bed, putting the forms on top of my piece. I grinned at him then started filling them out. "Fine. Whatever, Jean. If you really want me to..." "You have to." I chuckled softly. Someone knocked on the door. "Come in." I said. Lunetta opened the door and ran in. "Marco! Are you okay?" She had bern asleep when we went out and she was out all day today with her parents. She must have been worried. I smiled reassuringly, "Yeah. I'm okay." I said. She climbed onto the bed and crawled over us, landing right in between us. I saw Jean smirk. "Whatcha doing?" She asked me. "Filling out things for an art competition." She stood up on the bed. "No jumping." I said. Suddenly, she jumped up and landed on my head. I was not expecting it. "Ahh!" I exclaimed, laughing and catching her. She laughed, too. "Why did you just body slam my head?" She kept laughing. "Jeez!" She stood back up and jumped onto Jean. "Oof!" He said as she flopped down into his lap. "I dont appreciate this." She giggled. "Marco! You have drawings on you!" She said, pointing to my tattoo on my wrist. I smiled a bit, "Yes I do." Jean entertained Lunetta as I filled out the forms. Watching them made me feel all warm and fuzzy. They were so cute. She eventually left, closing the door behind her. "She is a handful." Jean said. I nodded, "Yes. But it's worth it. She's got such a bright future. I feel like putting up with her until she's older and more mature will be worth it." Jean smiled, "You're right." He agreed. "Here." I said, holding the packet of forms out to him, "Put these back in the drawer for me?" He stood, putting them back in the drawer then flopped down next to me again. I smiled at him before continuing to work on my peice. Jean pulled his phone out of his pocket and put one of his earbuds in, then he started tapping away. I let out a soft breath and it was silent for a few moments before Jean said, "Do you have a Vine account, Marco?" Vine. That app? I looked at him, "No." I said, "Why?" Jean shrugged, "Just wondering. Almost everyone in our class, including me, has one and they're all posting Christmas shit right now. Plus birthday stuff for Bert." He was so adorable... I dont know why him explaining that made him so endearing but it did...

I grinned, leaning over and kissing his temple. He smirked, his face turning pink. "What are you kissing me for?" He asked. "Because you're cute." I said. Jean spluttered, "Cute? Fuck off!" I laughed, "That was so loud! Shush!" "You're fucking cute." He said. My face felt flushed, "Thanks. But I doubt it." Jean rolled his eyes. "You are, dude." Dammit. I smacked his shoulder. "Wha-?" "Stop calling me 'dude'!" Jean sighed, "Why are you so against that word?" "Because I'm your boyfriend! You only call friends 'dude'!" His face turned really pink and he made a cute squeaking sound. It was completely out of character. I looked at him with a "what was that sound?" expression and I opened my mouth to ask him what that was when I was cut off with, "Eat my shorts!" I couldnt help it. I laughed. "That is not appropriate." I said. Jean smirked, "Whatever." "Come here." I said, holding my arm out to him. "No." He said. I smirked, "Please, Jean?" He sighed a bit, grimacing before scooting close to me. Yes! I smiled and kissed his cheek, putting an arm around his shoulders. It was silent then Jean suddenly got up and grabbed the board that my peoce was on. I lifted my pen off of the paper quickly as he pulled the board away, so as to mot ruin my peice. "What are you doing?" I was confused. "You should take a break. You're almost done with this peice." Maybe... I closed my pen and put it on the side table. Jean put my peice up against the wooden closet. I smirked softly at my boyfriend, watching how he moved. He turned around, and his face got hot. "What?" He asked, seeing me wathing him. "You're cute. That's what." I said. Jean frowned, "Stop saying that." "No. Now come here." I responded, holding my arms out to him. "And if I dont?" He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "I'll get up and probably hurt my ankle again." I said. Jean thought. Then he rolled his eyes and headed over to me. "Fine." I chuckled softly and pulled him down next to me. "Aww you caarree." I said, hugging him tightly. "Of course I do, you friggin idiot! Now get off of me!" I laughed and let go.

The next day was the 31st and the kids werent as excited about New Years. They were still kind of excited. My family was cooking all day. It was around noon when Jean was asked to help. My mom, aunt, and grandma were the ones cooking. "Jean! Would you mind helping us?" My aunt had said into the living room. I smiled at my boyfriend and he smiled back, standing and heading into the kitchen. I watched him go... I became aware of his body type. Really really slim... He was muscular enough but... Still very slim. I stared wondering what his childhood had been like. I would probably find our during spring break... I was really nervousited about seeing his family. It would be scary and probably really awkward but, hopefully, I'd learn more about Jean... Suddenly, I overhead my mother say in the kitchen, "...such a nice kid. I think he deserves the best." She was talking about me and the fight. I heard Jean sigh, "Y-Yes ma'am." I got up, heading into the kitchen. I put a hand on Jean's shoulder. He jumped at least 27 miles up. "Dude!" He exclaimed, "My God you scared me!" Oops. I laughed. "Sorry!" I then said to my mom, "It's okay. You dont have to try and give Jean warnings. Because, first of all, he wont listen-" "Hey!" "-Also, I want to be able to protect him so I dont mind..." Jean was silent, continuing to cut vegetables. "I'm not saying you cant protect him." Mom said, "I'm just telling him to be more careful. I dont want either of you to get hurt." "Thank you, mother." I said, smiling at her concern. Then asking, "Can I help you with anything?" "I think we got it, honey." She responded. "Alright." I said, "Good luck, Jean." I then kissed his cheek and squeezed his shoulder before going back into the living room. I figured that laundry would be a good idea and Jean came in at the perfect time.

"Jean." I said, standing up off of the couch, "Help me with laundry?" He groaned, "But I just helped with food. "Oh man up, Jeanny-boy!" My uncle exclaimed. I grinned. What a spoiled child. "I cant be so nice for so often." He said, heading into the bedroom to grab my dirty clothes. I followed behind him and grabbed my own clothes then lead him to the laundry room. "Put your darks, whites, and colors in seperate hampers, please." I said. I let Jean seperate his own clothes before I seperated my own. I then smiled softly at him. He was so adorable. I bumped our noses together before kissing him for a breif moment. He smiled and turned pink. His smile was absolutely amazing. I was so screwed... I ripped myself away from him reluctantly, grabbing the darks and dumping them into the washing machine, putting in soap then closing the machine and turning it on. Then I stepped over to Jean and hugged him close. He hugged me back. I smiled softly. He was only an inch or a half shorer than me but... He was still cute. Mike suddenly came bounding in and he jumped up on us. "Ahh!" Jean yelled, "Nooo!" I laughed, pulling away from him and grabbing Mike. "Aww! C'mere!" "How can you do that?" Jean exclaimed. I grinned at him, "Getting Mike was my idea so I can handle him." Jean grimaced, "Big dogs arent my forte." Aw man... I pouted. This might be the reason I end up dumping this man, "Why not?" "Because they're scary. I'm not a giant fan of dogs in general. All the dogs I've met belonged to old rich ladies and they were always so loud and bitey." Okay. That makes sense. I nodded, "I get that." I then l Mike go and the three of us headed back out into the living room. "Hey, Jean!" My mother called from in the kitchen. "Yes, ma'am?" He answered. "How old are you?" Jean was silent and I raised an eyebrow. Was he even of legal age to drink? He sighed. "20." What? "Alright!" She responded. Dummy! I smacked his shoulder. "Jean. I didnt know that you were 20!" He just rolled his eyes and looked at me, "Good job keeping up with your boyfriend." Oh... My face got hot with embarassment, "Sorry. I didnt know you couldnt drink yet. I thought you could... You were on the younger side of your graduating class, huh?" He nodded.

Later that eveninf, we ate dinner and Jean got some wine. He drank a glass and I convinced myself to at least drink a half a glass. I wasnt really okay with drinking it... I already had my addiction with alchohol. Been there done that. And I didnt want to re-do that. So I tried to avoid it altogether. But, sometimes, it's just something you have to do. It's respectful to do at parties and get togethers and dinners. Afterwards, Lunetta wanted to play in the snow. So she, my aunt, and myself headed out. We had fun but Lunetta eventually got tired. "We're gonna go inside, Marco." My aunt said. I smiled and nodded, "Go ahead." I said as Lunetta hugged me and I hugged her back. Then the two of them walked towards the house and I turned back around, wanting to sit and watch the fireworks for a while but I knew that the counting down would be starting soon so I should probably go back in. When someone sat down next to me. "Hey." Jean said. I looked at him and smiled. "Hey!" I exclaimed, a bit too excited. Calm the butts down, Marco. Jean had on his blue coat, green beanie with snowflakes on it, black gloves, and his black scarf. He was so cute. I had a boring brown jacket on, red gloves, a green scarf, and white earmuffs. How lame was I? But Jean was so attractive. His cheeks and nose were pink from the cold already even though he had just barely stepped outside. "What're you doing out here alone? Everyone went in." He said. I turned my attention back to the exploding colors in the air, shrugging and saying, "I was planning on going back in but... Now you're here so..." I looked at him and he was pinker than before and he was half smiling. Cute. "Ever kissed anyone on New Years?" I asked. He probably had but why not ask? He laughed a bit. "Yeah." He said, "But... Not with you." I felt my face get hot. "Well... Then..." I said. I ran out of things to say. I wanted him to kiss me but even though we were officially dating now, I still felt awkward asking him for a kiss. He snickered and said, "Of course I'll kiss you at midnight, Marco." He scooted closer to me. Thank God. I laced my fingers with his and everyone seemed to start screaming and counting down, "10...! 9...! 8...! 7...! 6...!" I was actually getting really nervous as the fireworks went insane everywhere, "5...! 4...! 3...! 2...! 1...! HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Then I thought, screw it, and I leaned forwards, my eyes slipping closed, and pressed my lips against Jean's. He kissed me back, squeezing my hand. I pulled away after a decent time and we just kind of sat there for a few moments, staring at eachother like idiots before I laughed softly. Jean grinned and I said, "Jean... I love you. Happy New Year." "Cheesy nerd." He said. I laughed more and hugged him close. He hugged me back. Then I heard him say, "Love you, too, Marco..." And I held him a little tighter.


	25. Ten Steps at a Time CH 15 (Jean)

We had to get back to Coirtney that saturday and Marco's mom and dad drove us to the airport after we said goodbye to everyone. When we got to the airport, both of Marco's parents got out and pulled our bags out of the back. Then they both hugged Marco. Camelia then hugged me and said, "I hope you can visit again, Jean." "I'm sure I will, Mrs. Bodt." I responded. "Camelia." She corrected. I smirked, "Right." Then Marco's dad shook my hand, "Nice to meet you, Jean." He said, smiling, "Take care of Marco." I nodded and smiled. Then Marco and I were on our way to our flight. This flight was pretty much just as boring as the first one. Marco went to sleep but he didnt wake up until the flight was over, so I had to sit there the whole time, basically, alone. When we got off of the plane in Pennysylvania at around seven and got our bags, we headed down down the escalator and saw Connie and Sasha waiting for us. "Hey!" Connie said, hugging me and patting my back. "Hi, guys!" Marco exclaimed. Sasha hugged Marco then we switched and Sasha hugged me as Connie greeted Marco. The four of us started heading back to Coirtney. Marco and I in the back, Connie driving, and Sasha in the passenger's seat. "So, Pixis forgot about Secret Santa so now it's New Years Secret Santa." Connie said. I groaned, "Dammit... I was happy we werent doing it. I got friggin Bertholdt last time. I cant work with that." "I think that sounds fun." Marco said. "Of course you do." I smirked at Marco. He smirked back, "Hey! I'm offended." I grinned, "You're a nerd." Marco rolled his eyes, "Right." "So!" Sasha started, "Anything interesting happen over the break?" Connie looked in the rearview mirror and wiggled his eyebrows at us. My face got hot and I looked at Marco. Marco smiled softly at me and said to Connie, "I found out that Jean doesnt like dogs." "Oh yeah. He hates them. My dog is the devil, apparently." Connie said. I grinned, "That thing peed on me, Connie." He laughed, "She pees on everyone! It means she likes you!" I laughed, "Dude! What the fuck? It does not!" Connie just laughed more. I shook my head. "You're an idiot." I said. "Hey!" He exclaimed. "Dont be rude to your chauffeur." I rolled my eyes, "Dude, I could pay for a limo." "Why didnt you, then?" I smirked, "Because you're a good friend who I dont have to pay." I saw Connie smirk in the rearview mirror. "But." Sasha said, "Did you two get anywhere?" Her suggestive tone made me feel flushed. Marco laughed softly, "You're funny." Thank God Marco was here to cover us both. I sighed with releif. Man...

When we got back to campus, Connie and Sasha helped us get our things to our dorm. We were starting to unpack when I said, "Can I have that bed?" I pointed at Marco's bed. "Why?" He said, "Because I was nice and gave you the good one but now I want it." Marco laughed and said, "I dont care. Take it. Whatever." "Yesss!" He grinned at me then came over and hugged me close. I smiled, hugging him back and tangling a hand in his hair. "You are just obsessed with hair..." He said to me. I smirked a bit, "I guess so..." I said. He kissed my cheek. I pulled away from him but he held onto my hands. "No." I saaid, "I have to unpackkk." Marco just pulled me back to his chest, smiling. I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Marcooo." "You're warm, Jean." I sighed. "You are, too, but I gotta unpack." He nuzzled his face into my neck. "God. You're so grabby." He chuckled into my neck, "Aw c'mon. You know you like it..." I did like it but I had things to do. "Marco." "No. Please." I groaned, "You're the one being fucking needy now!" He laughed, "Dont care." Suddenly, the door burst open. I pushed away from Marco quickly and Reiner yelled, "I SAW IT!" "Noo!" I yelled. Marco laughed, "I dont care. Go tell the world, Reiner!" Marco said. "Dude!" I exclaimed. Marco pulled me close to himself. I pushed against him, "Get the fuck off!" He let me go but Reiner was already running down the hall screaming, "JEANMARCO IS OFFICIAL!" I went limp in Marco's grip and groaned. Marco chuckled softly and let me go. I ran to the doorway and tried to think of which way this idiot ran. I couldnt see him when Marco had me in his grip, "It's too late, Jean. He's already yelled it." Marco said, "I can still beat him up!" I exclaimed. "Jean, he's going to kill you if you try that." "No he wont! You forgot, I've been tackled by this guy!" I saw Reiner at the end of the hall, talking to Bertholdt. I then made my way down the hallway to the left. Reiner saw me coming down the hall and he hid behind Bertholdt. Bertholdt looked horrified. I tried to get past Bertholdt but he didnt let me. Then Annie came out of nowhere and pulled me to the floor. I fell on my back. I tried to jump back up and go for Reiner again but Marco grabbed me and held me back. "You look like you're gonna rip my head off!" Reiner exclaimed, coming out from behind Bertholdt. "I am!" I yelled, "I will when Marco lets me go!" "Jean. No." Marco said. "Question." Reiner said to Marco, "How do you date someone so hot-headed?" Marco laughed softly and I rolled my eyes, "Whatever!" I said, "You cant just go and yell something that someone doesnt want you yelling! The only reason why I didnt stop you from yelling it was because Marco delayed me by holding me back for ten seconds!" I growled. "I'm sorry..." Marco said softly in my ear, "I shouldnt have done that..." I sighed and gave up, stopping my struggling. Then I ripped away from Marco and went back down the hall towards our dorm. Fuck these guys. I continued unpackingg and was almost done when Marco came back in and closed the door behind him, "Jean. I'm really sorry. I didnt mean to hold you back. I was just being my normal 'grabby' self." I sighed, "You owe me now." He smirked, "Whatever you want." "You also owe me from the first time we met and I helped you find your studio." I said, putting the last of my clothes away and putting my boards that held the peices I'd taken with me over the break, on my desk. He laughed softly, "Right, Jean... But I'm seriously sorry." "It's okay, Marco." Suddenly, I remembered Marco's Christmas present. "Oh, shit! Marco!" Marco looked at me. "I have to show you something!" I grabbed his arm. "Right now? But I'm still unpacking." I really didnt care. "Come on! You can do that later!" Marco sighed and looked at me, contemplating. "Please? Come on." I said. "Okay okay." He said. I grinned, "Hell yes! Grab your studio key!" "My own studio key?" I nodded. Marco raised an eyebrow and went to his desk to get his studio key out, "C'mon. Let's go." I said, grabbing his hand and heading out into the hall. "Ahh! He's back!" Reiner yelled from down the hall. I smirked and closed and locked the dorm door behind us. I then headed down the hall, pulling Marco along. "Jean, what is this?" I just grinned, "Come on. Trust me."

We walked past Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie to get to the stairs. Reiner was screaming as we passed. I lead Marco outside and we trudged through the snow towards the studio building. "Jean. I'm genuinely scared." Marco said. I laughed, "Why?" I asked, "Dont be. It's good." Marco laughed softly, "Okay, Jean." We went into the studio building and down the hall to Marco's studio. I turned to him and felt my face get hot. Dammit now I was embarassed, "Erm... So, I got you something for Christmas..." I looked down. I refused to look Marco in the eye, "but it was too big to bring to your house so... I left it in your studio..." "Jean... That's so sweet. You didnt have to do that..." I felt my face get hotter, "I wanted to, though..." Marco pulled me into a hug and I hugged him back and mumbled, "You havent even seen it yet..." I ran a hand through his hair. He chuckled softly, "I dont have to see it... It's the fact that you got me something... Jean, I'm gonna feel like crap because whatever your present to me is, mine to you is going to be inferior..." He got me something? What? "Marco you seriously didnt have to do anything for me. I dont want you to waste money on me. A peice of art from you would be perfect..." He shrugged, "It's okay." This idiot. He was too frickin nice. I pulled away from him and he was smiling then he unlocked and opened his studio door. He went in and scanned the big room before his eyes landed on the wheel. "Oh my God you're crazy, Jean." He said as he went over to it. I smiled, walking in and heading over to him. He had the biggest fucking grin on his face. "Jean, this is so nice of you..." My face got really hot and I looked down, shoving my hands in my pockets. Now came the real hug. He hugged me tightly and I grinned, hugging him back. "You're ridiculous, Jean. How much money did you spend on this?" I laughed softly, "Um. A lot. But it's okay. Like I said, I have money coming out of my ass. It's fine." "You should get that checked out." He responded, nuzzling his face into my neck, "No hair touching this time?" He asked me, "Can I touch yours'?" He started lacing his fingers into my hair and I smirked softly, "You can touch it if you want to. But you're the only one allowed to touch it." He chuckled softly, "I'm okay with that." He said. He looked at me and smiled, bumping our noses together then kissing me. I smirked and kissed him back. But I pulled away from him when the kiss started getting more heated. Too embarassed. I knew my face was really red. Marco raised an eyebrow at me when I suddenly pulled away. I cleared my throat. "... Is there a problem?" Marco asked me. Goddammit this was going to be freaking awkward. I shrugged a bit, refusing to look at him. It was quiet. "You know you dont have to be embarassed, right?" He said, stepping closer to me and grabbing my hands. "Yeah." I said, "Doesnt mean I'm not." Marco made a humming sound, "I understand." He said, "I want you to be as comfortable as possible." Shit. He was so frickin kind. I felt like I was being selfish... I would need to learn how to not be so embarassed. We were dating now. D-A-T-I-N-G! And that involves cuddles and huggles and kisses, bitch. I just had to learn that. I'd had boyfriends and girlfriends before but cuddling was never my thing. I looked at him. He was smiling. "Thank you for getting me the pottery wheel. I really appreciate it, Jean..." I smiled back, "No problem. Now what did you get me?" Marco laughed a bit, "I got you shoes. You're welcome." "Are they Uggs?" Marco just stared at me, grinning. I laughed, "Holy shit they are, arent they?!" Marco laughed, "Yes they are! But the other pair are boots. So dont worry. I didnt just get you Uggs." I was dying! I was perfectly happy with just the Uggs. "Oh my fucking God!" I exclaimed, "Amazing!" Marco was laughing softly. "Are they back at the dormroom?" Marco nodded. "Let's go!" I then ran out of the studio room. Marco grinned and came out of the room and I ran down the hall, not waiting for Marco to close and lock the door. "Hurry up!" I heard him laugh down the hall. I stopped and waited for him at the door leading outside. Marco made his way down the hall and smirked at me. The two of us made our way back to the dorm building. And we were heading to the stairs when Ymir called us from the couch with, "Yo! Guys!" I didnt trust this person. I was going to pretend not to hear her but Marco, being the nice guy, went over to her. I rolled my eyes and followed him. "Hey, Ymir." Marco said, "Hi Christa." Christa smiled at him. "And how are you, Jean?" Ymir asked, giving me a smirk. I just glared at her. Marco elbowed me and when I looked at him, he was giving me an understanding smile. I had to be the bigger person. So I sighed and forced a smile in Ymir's direction, "ai'm good. How are you?" Ymir nodded, "Just fine. Anything different happen over the break?" "Other than Marco and I starting to go out? Nope." Ymir narrowed her eyebrows, "You guys are dating now?" "Oh I'm so happy for you!" Christa exclaimed. "Since when?" Ymir said. "Since your mom." I answered. Marco covered his mouth, trying not to laugh at how ridiculous what I just said was. "What the Hell does that even mean?" "Im in too much of a good mood to be brought down by you. Now goodbye." I then went back to the stairs and went up to our dorm. I knew Marco didnt follow me because he had to apologize for me being stupid.

Marco soon came into the room, smirking. "Jean. You cant just leave me to deal with the aftermath." He said. I laughed, "That's why you're here, though!" He laughed, too. "Oh really? That's why you're dating me? So I can deal with what you dont want to deal with?" I smirked softly, "Yes." I said, heading over to him, "But, secretly, I'm dating you because I like you a ton." He turned red and smiled. "I like you, too..." He said. I had to make myself do it. But I kissed him breifly. He grinned and I smirked, "Now where are the Uggs?" I asked. Marco chuckled and headed over to the one closet in the room and opened it, reaching up and pulling two shoe boxes down, then setting them on my bed. I walked over and Marco opened both boxes and the Uggs were grey and amazing and the boots were black and went to right above the ankles. They had red rubber soles and they were awesome. "Hell yes!" I exclaimed. Then I kissed Marco's nose. He smiled more than he already was and laughed softly. "Thanks, Marco. You really didnt have to." He chuckled, wrapping his arms around my waist, "I had to. You deserve it." I laughed softly, playing with his hair with both of my hands, "I really dont. I'm the worst... But thanks..." Marco made a humming sound. "I love you, Jean..." My face got really hot and I half smiled, "I love you, too, nerd." Dammit I had to tell him about the weight. I was starting to feel guilty about it… He hadn't picked up anything, to my knowledge. But I still felt bad, I had thought that him not knowing would lift some stress but it just added to it over time… I had to do it soon. Before someone else did.

We started class again on January the fifth, 2015. We were in Pixis' class and he said, "Okay. Everyone line up. We're doing Secret Santa. We'll give presents on Valentine's Day." Then he shook the baseball cap that a bunch of slips of paper were in. I groaned as Marco stood up. Marco smirked and pulled me up. "Oh come on, Jean!" Connie said, clapping me on the back, "It'll be great! Maybe you'll get someone better than last year. No offense Bert!" "None taken." Bertholdt responded. I sighed, "Maybe... You guys can go first." I said, going to the very end of the line. When I finally got up there, Pixis raised his eyebrows at me and shook the hat, smiling. I sighed and took the last name, heading back to my seat and flopping down next to Marco. Marco smiled at me sympathetically. I smirked and opened the strip of paper, reading the name. Fuck. My. Life. "JAEGAAARRRR!" I yelled. And everybody groaned(except for Marco and Connie, who laughed). "Jean!" Pixis exclaimed, "Now we have to do it over again!" Everyone got back up and put their slips of paper back into the hat, grumbling to themselves. I was grinning. And I made sure to be first this time so I'd have more options. After I grabbed my new sheet of paper, I headed back to my seat. I opened the paper and... Jaegar again?! What the fuck?! I slammed my head on the table, groaning. Marco came and sat down and whispered to me, "Who'd you get?" I slid my paper to him and he looked at it, sighing. "I'm sorry, Jean..." He said. I shook my head, "Whatever... I'll get him a good present." "Jean. Dont be mean." Marco warned. Jaegar wouldnt even know what hit him. "Okay!" Pixis started, "Listen up everybody!" I lifted my head up to look at Pixis. "We will be doing a life drawing starting next month. I bet you all remember that from your freshman foundation year. I think they do that at Mattheius, too." Marco nodded a bit. "But. We need a volunteer. And we dont have anyone yet." Pixis said, "Does anybody in here want to do it at all?" Everybody was silent. "Marco should do it!" Sasha suddenly yelled. I grinned then raised my hand, "I second that!" Marco gasped, "Noo!" He exclaimed, his face turning red. "DO IT!" Reiner yelled. Marco covered his face with his hands and shook his head, "No way!" "Bah leave the boy alone, you crazies." Pixis said, "We'll find someone." "Of course you'd second that, Jean!" Eren yelled. I glared at him, "Yeah. Dating much?" It was quiet. "Woah what?" Connie exclaimed, "You're dating?! Why didnt you tell me?!" I looked at him with a "really bitch?" expression. Connie stared at me before sighing, "Right right." He said. "Wait you're dating?!" Eren exclaimed. "No, Jaeger. I just said that for fun." I rolled my eyes. "Anyways!" Pixis exclaimed, "In the meantime, I want you to do a collaboration project. So, get into groups of three and-" "Marco and Sasha!" Connie yelled. Marco laughed softly. I was offended, "Dude!" I exclaimed, "What the hell?!" "I'll be in a group with you, Jean!" Armin said. "And I actually want to work with Jean and Armin, Connie... Sorry." Connie groaned, "Dammit, Marco. Quit being so nice to Jean! He doesnt deserve that." "I second that." I said, raising my hand slowly. Marco slapped my hand down, "Stop that." He said to me. "Go with your group, then!" Pixis interuppted our banter. Armin came over and pulled up a chair, sitting on the opposite side of our table. Connie, Sasha, and Annie were a group. Mikasa, Reiner, and Eren were a group. And Ymir, Christa, and Bertholdt were a group. Armin coming over to our group just ruined the system of normality. "Okay. So." Pixis started, "We will be doing an advertisement." Everyone groaned so just to be annoying I said, "Whooo!" "Shut up, horseface!" Eren exclaimed. I threw a pencil at him and it hit him on the shoulder. "Hey!" He yelled. Pixis threw a pencil at me and it hit me right on the top of my head, "Shut up, Jean. I'm talking." He said. I sighed. "Now. You will be designing an advertisement. And I want it to be for a movie. Any movie at all. You can make up a movie for all I care." I had the perfect idea. "So go ahead and start planning." Pixis finished. I immediately said to Marco and Armin, "Horseman and the Return of the Jaegarnauts." Marco and Armin laughed. "Perfect!" Marco said, "I love that. Armin?" Armin was cracking up and he nodded, unable to speak. I grinned, victorious. Amazing. "We really shouldnt..." Armin said, "But it's too funny to not." "Hell yeah!" "Oh man." Armin said, "Eren is going to be mad." "Dont worry I'll protect you." I said to Armin. He smirked at me. "I'll be right back." Marco said, standing. "Kay." I said. Marco then headed out the door. I sighed softly. "So you two are together now?" Armin said. "Yeah." I said, smiling softly. Armin smiled back, "How is that?" "Great." I said, "I feel really lucky. I dont deserve him." Armin smirked, "Jean, you may think that. But I've noticed you do nice things for people, hoping that nobody will notice. That being said, I still feel like you could use some self-control and I think you need someone like Marco." I smirked, "To help me with self-control?" Armin nodded. "Thanks." "It's just a fact, Jean." He said. I sighed. He was right... Hopefully Marco would rub off on me. So far, I hadnt been rubbed off on by any of my friends or anyone around me so I didnt know what was going to happen. "So how have your counseling appointments been?" Armin asked. "They've been alright." I responded… It was quiet. "Tell him." "I know!" I exclaimed, "Soon! I will soon!" Armin just raised his eyebrows and shook his head in disappointment.

When Marco came back, all we did was work on planning our advertisement. That's basically all we did for the next few days, as well. It wasnt until Friday that Armin, Marco, and I did anything other than that. The groups were really hard at work for some reason. Maybe it was because some of the people didnt really know eachother that well so they felt compelled to not goof around. We were in the commons building on the second floor where all the studying couches and chairs and tables were. It was around five and Marco was about done sketching out what we had decided that we would do. We each came up with an individual sketch then we morphed them together. It was amazing. There was a man dressed in galatic armor in the middle and he had the head of a horse(best pose ever, by the way. He was standing like he was riding a horse of his own). On the left side, there were headshots of robots that had Eren's hair. And on the right were two headshots. One of Armin who was talking into an ear peice and the other of Marco who was half robot, we decided. I couldnt stop laughing for nearly an hour. Armin eventually said, "We've been working almost all day all this week. We should go do something fun." Marco looked at him. "We should." He agreed. "Alright." I said. Marco stretched his back and I half smiled as he said, "What do you guys want to do?" Armin shrugged a bit. "I dont know. You guys hungry?" I asked them. "Yeah." Armin said, looking at me in surprise at suggesting food, "We should go get dinner." Marco smiled softly and shrugged a bit, "Whatever you guys want to do." I grinned, "We should walk." I said, standing up. I grabbed our advertisement, as it had been hanging out in my studio. Marco smirked, "Why are we going to walk?" "For fun." I answered. "Be right back." I then headed downstairs with the paper and went outside, trudging to the studio building and opening my studio door, placing our peice in the room then heading abck out and closing and locking the door behind me. I was about to just leave but I heard talking upstairs(yes, it was that loud. It was a really bad volume to make plans at)and I recognized a voice as Gerald's. I only stopped walking when I heard Marco's name. I raised an eyebrow, turning around and stepping up the first few stairs. My new boots were slightly squeaky but the conversation continued. I narrowed my eyebrows as I heard a voice I didnt recognize say, "... Jean and Marco together now?" Then Gerald say, "Mhm. The douchebag does not deserve Marco. I need to make him see that I'm better for him than-" I stopped listening then. I was actually about to go up the stairs, I was kind of pissed. But I didnt go up. I just decided to ignore it but the next time I saw Gerald talking to Marco, he was dead. I headed back down the stairs and back to the commons building. And, I heard another conversation which I also eavesdropped in on. Marco and Armin were talking. "... Have you been dating for?" Armin asked Marco. "Oh, just a week and a half." "I thought you guys were going to make me feel like the third wheel but you two dont really act much different than before." Armin said. Marco laughed softly. "Oh. Armin, you will never be a third wheel." I then headed up the stairs and Marco smiled at me as I walked over. I half smiled as the two of them stood up, grabbing their bags. I grabbed my own bag then the three of us headed out of the building. "Jean. Seriously." Marco said, taking my hand as Armin walked on his other side, "Why are we walking?" I smiled at him softly, "I just felt like wanting to walk. Now that you're starting to get over your vehicle fear, we havent really walked anywhere." Marco thought for a second then nodded in understanding, "You're right. I forgot that I used to walk everywhere." Sudenly, Marco's phone started ringing and he let my hand go, pulling his phone out of his pocket and answering with, "Hello?" Marco narrowed his eyebrows at what the person was saying then his eyes widened, "Dude! Get the Hell out of there!" Armin and I looked at each other in confusion and the three of us stopped walking. "I really don't care," Marco was saying, "Messing around with that shit is idiotic!" Woah. Marco was cussing? That meant something really bad was happening. I raised an eyebrow. "Thomas Wagner if you do not let this go, I will fly to Texas and make you." Marco was silent then he sighed, "I don't do that stuff anymore, Tom-and don't you dare send me any!" Alright. I kind of knew this was about drugs. What kind? Not sure. I'd have to ask Marco. "Again. I dont care. I dont want you to hurt yourself. I'm gonna hang up now and leave you to your decision. You can text me when you've figure yourself out." Marco then hung up, sighing and looking very worried. "What was that?" Armin asked. Marco shook his head, "My friend, Thomas, at Mattheius did some really really dangerous stuff during high school involving pills and alcohol and we've been lucky enough to get him off of it in the past year but... He found out that he could get some from someone at Mattheius..." Marco shook his head, putting his phone back into his pocket. I narrowed my eyebrows. "Marco." Armin started, "Is he going to be okay?" Marco sighed, shrugging, "I don't know. Hopefully he'll make the right choice. It's not my decision. And i'm in Pennsylvania and he's in Texas so unless I fly there, I don't have any control. Which I might have to fly there in a couple of days if he doesn't do the right thing and it gets bad like before...""You said," I started, "'I don't do that stuff anymore.'" I raised an eyebrow and Marco knitted his eyebrows together, nodding, and smiling guiltily, "Y-Yeah. I stopped doing what Thomas was doing during my sophomore year of highschool." "Marco why did you do all this stuff?" Marco sighed softly and stopped smiling, "Because my sister died..." Goddammit. I groaned, "Sorry, Marco..." He smiled a bit and came over to me, kissing my cheek, "It's okay, Jean." Fuck. He was too nice. "Marco dont forgive me so quickly. I'm fucking rude!" I exclaimed. "Jean dont make this about yourself." Armin warned me. I sighed, "Yeah yeah! Whatever!" Marco smiled softly, his eyebrows still knitted together. "All I can do now is wait. So I'm not going to worry until later on if he does something stupid... Come on." He said, then he put an arm around my shoulder an his other arm around Armin's shoulder and the three of us kept walking. I sighed softly. When we went to dinner and when we came back, Armin said that he knew of this place that overlooked the whole city and we all agreed that we should go up there. So Armin drove Nick(I figured that since I made us walk, Armin could use my car)up to the location and we all got out, the windows to the car still open and the car still on so we could hear the music coming through. The car was driven close to the edge of the cliff we were now on and I climbed up and stood on top of the car. I took in a deep breath and as I looked over the edge of the cliff, I could see the whole city below. The sun was setting so the sky was purple, pink, and yellow. It was really beautiful. Armin climbed up next to me and sat down, sighing softly and smiling. Marco sat next to him and I sat on the other side of Marco, taking in the scenery. Armin took his sketchbook out of his bag and started sketching in it. "Armin, this is cool." Armin laughed softly, "It is, right?" I nodded in response. Marco pulled his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it, tapping away at it after reading a text and smiling softly, "Thomas didnt do it..." He said. "Thank God." Armin said. Marco looked so relieved, "He resisted and didnt get it..." I grinned, leaning over and kissing Marco's temple, "Looks like you made a lasting impression." Marco turned red and directed his smile at me. He leaned forwards and kissed me on the lips gently for a few moments. I felt my face get hot and he pulled away slowly. I half smiled and scooted closer to him. He then pulled me onto his lap, unexpectedly. My face got hotter, "There is no need for this." I said. Marco just laughed softly and wrapped his arms around my waist. I smirked and rested my back against his chest. He nuzzled his face into my neck. "You guys are really cute." Armin said. I smirked at him and he was smiling at us. "Why dont you take a picture?" I said playfully, "It'll last longer." To my surprise, Armin took out his phone and snapped a photo of us. I laughed softly, "Weirdo." I said. Armin laughed, too. Marco made a humming sound into my neck and I reached my hand up to snake into his hair. I heard Armin take another picture and I just rolled my eyes. "Love you, Jean..." He said into my neck softly. "Love you, too..." I responded.

When we got back, it was around eight. I went to bed soon after we returned because I didnt really get any sleep the night before. A few weeks passed and we were basically done with our ad. Marco woke me up on a Wednesday at the normal time but he looked really nice. White button up shirt under a suit jacket plus a tie and nice black dress pants and shoes. I got up, rubbing my eyes and asking, "Why are you dressed like that?" Marco grinned and pulled me close to his chest, "Because that national competition is today. During Pixis' class." I laced my fingers into his hair, "You're skipping class, then?" He nodded and I smiled, "Good luck." I said, "I hope you win." He looked great. He smiled at me, "Can I use your car?" He asked me. I nodded, "Yeah. Of course." "Thank you, Jean." He said. I sighed softly, "You look so good." I said. His face turned red and he laughed softly. "Thank you..." He said. He leaned in to kiss me but I leaned away, "My breath is bad, Marco. You dont want to do that." Marco smirked and pulled me closer then kissed me on the lips. I kissed him back and it seemed too short of a kiss when he pulled away. "You're breath is just fine..." He said, hugging me close. I smiled softly. Goddammit. This man was making me lose my hard personality. I was getting nicer and I couldnt stop thinking about Marco. I thought about him all the fucking time... I was starting to think it was scary. I was losing myself to this person that I was head over heels for... "Marco. Am I getting... Soft?" I asked. He chuckled softly and shook his head, "No, Jean... You're the same as before. Just a lot more compassionate... It's good..." Okay well... If I was the same person to Marco, I guess nothing bad was happening. "I love you..." He said. I smirked, "I love you, too, man..." He sighed, "Jean-" "Sorry. Sorry." I interuppted, "How about: 'I love you, too, babe'?" Marco made this weird sound and I laughed, "What was that?" I asked. He laughed, "Please call me that." I grinned, "Sure." It was quiet then Marco pulled away slightly and I saw him again, looking amazing. I sighed, "God you're so handsome and it's not fucking fair." I said. Marco turned redder and laughed, "Jean. Stoppit... You're just as attractive." I smirked. I seriously doubted that but whatever. I groaned and shuffled into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. When I headed out, Marco was already gone. I really hoped he would win something. He deserved it. I sighed softly and got dressed, then headed to Pixis' class. When I got in, I went and sat with Armin. "Where's Marco?" "He's at an art competition." Armin smiled, "I hope he does well." "Me too." I said, smiling, "He looks really nice. He got all dressed up and shit." Armin smiled. "You guys really are good for eachother." I grinned and felt my face get hot. "I hope so..." I said. Then Pixis started, "So, the dean has asked me to play that national art competition on TV in this class because Marco is in it. So, you can work while you watch." I raised an eyebrow. I didnt even know that it was broadcasted. Such a great boyfriend, right? "Marco's in it?!" Reiner exclaimed. "But that's a senior competition!" I felt really proud, actually. Pixis turned on the TV in the room and changed it to the channel that the competition was on. Another show was just ending then commercials started. "Jean, did you know about this?" Connie asked. I nodded, "Yep." "Then do you know how many representatives from Coirtney there are going to be?" Mikasa asked. Dammit. I felt my face get hot with embarassment, "To be honest, I didnt look anything up about it." Everyone groaned. "Jean you have to make an effort! He's your boyfriend!" Reiner exclaimed. I sighed, pulling my beanie down a bit. "I know! Just give me some time!" The competition started and everyone shut up, watching. There were three or four representatives from each school. Mattheius was there and Hitch was one of the four representatives. She was a junior, too, so she must be great, as well as Marco. Marco was one of three from Coirtney and he looked great. But Gerald was also there. I frowned when I saw him. Dammit. The judges started looking at everyone's work and telling them what was good about the peices and what they could improve on. Then they gave them a score. Marco looked fucking nervous as Hell but he tried to smile and keep his voice from shaking. In the end, Mattheius won overall and Coirtney got third place, which wasnt bad. We all cheered when they said what Coirtney got. And I clapped when Mattheius won because, you know, support. The competition ended soon enough and by that time, class was pretty much over. I headed out of the room with Armin and I texted Marco with, "You did great! Third place is awesome, Marco!" Armin and I went to the commons building to work on our advertisement. Marco had texted me back at that point, "Thank you, Jean. 3" I smirked at the heart shape. Then Marco texted me again with, "Gerald was being weird... He kept talking about you." I narrowed my eyebrows as Armin and i went up the stairs andti the studying area we had claimed. "Why? How was he talking about me?" I texted Marco. "I'll tell you when I get back. You guys in the commons building?" "Yep." "Kay. See you in a bit. Love you." My face got slightly hot, "Love you too, Marco." Armin smiled at me when I put my phone down and I smirked back. Then we started working on the advertisement. Soon, I saw Marco coming up the stairs and he was still wearing the same thing. I smiled and got up, heading over to him and hugging him immediately. He laughed and hugged me back. "God, Jean, you act like you havent seen me in years." "Naw." I said, "I'm just proud of you." Marco pecked me on the lips and my face got hot at the sweet gesture. I grinned and grabbed his hand, walking back over to Armin and sitting back down. Marco sat next to me. "Oh, you guys have a lot done." Marco said. "Yeah." Armin agreed, smiling. Then my brain suddenly remembered Gerald. "What happened with Gerald?" I asked Marco. Armin looked up from the advertisement at the mention of Gerald. "Oh yeah." Marco said, "He was saying things like, 'Jean doesnt deserve you.' And, 'I can make you happy.'" Fuck him. I was gonna kill him. "I'm going to-" Marco interuppted me with, "I told him that he needed to leave me and everyone I know alone from now on because he was being very terrible." Oh... Wow. Okay. He had it under control. But... "I'll still fuck him up!" I exclaimed. Marco sighed and smiled softly, "You shouldnt do that. Violence doesnt need to be used at this point. If he messes with anyone I know and care about, though, you have my permission to threaten him." I groaned, "But I want to beat him up. Not threaten him." Marco kissed my cheek, "Jean. Please listen to me." I sighed... Then nodded. He was right, goddammit... "Hitch also said something to me and I might have to fly to Texas in few days or so..." What? I narrowed my eyebrows at him. He sighed, "Thomas started drinking again." I raised my eyebrows, "Oh man... Okay... Well..." "Why did he start doing that?" Armin asked. "He's just stressed out." Marco said, "And he recently had a death in the family. His grandfather passed away and they were very close." It seemsd like everyone was doing bad shit because somebody in their family died! "Mina and Hitch are trying to help but I have to be there, too." I sighed. I really didnt think Marco deserved this. He shouldnt have to help idiots get back on track... He was clearly worried about Thomas and I didnt think he deserved to be so stressed out. Nobody should make him go through shit like this. "Jean. Would you mind coming with me?" Marco suddenly said. I spluttered, "The fuck? Why?" Marco shrugged, "Maybe you can help?" He said. I grimaced. I didnt want to help Thomas. He was being an idiot by drinking a ton and I didnt understand why anyone would do that. "I'll just be an issue, Marco. I dont get anything, man." Marco knitted his eyebrows together in confusion, "What do you mean?" "I mean-" Armin interuppted me then, "He doesnt get why Thomas is drinking." I rolled my eyes but... It was true. I didnt understand why Thomas(or even Marco)would hurt themselves because somebody died. I mean, I drink but just for fun. And I only get drunk at parties. I was clearly under more control than Thomas considering Marco was goig to fly to Texas! "Well," Marco started, "Thomas is in pain from the stress of school and the death of his grandad and probably from some other things going on in his life. So, in order to feel good, he's drinking." I was really glad that Marco was so nice. Because nobody else(Maybe Armin)would be able to put up with me not understanding shit. I nodded a bit, "Doesnt he know how dangerous that is?" I asked. Marco stared at me and nodded, "Yeah. I did, too. At that point, you just dont care." I understood now. Goddammit. "Yeah. I"ll go with you." I said. Marco smiled softly, "Good." He said.

We "finished"(no peice is truly ever done)our advertisement that evening and Armin said that he would hold onto it that weekend when we would go to Texas. It was Friday now. "We just got back three weeks ago now we're going on another plane." I mumbled, putting some clothes and toiletries into a carry-on bag. We probably wouldnt be there for very long. Marco was doing the same with his packing. To my surprise, he let out an annoyed, exasperated, sigh and turned to me, "Jean you dont have to go if you dont want to." I groaned then it was quiet and Marco sighed again, "Jean. You just need to realize that this is a big deal... You should at least try to act like you car. You need to be nice not to just people who might help you later on. But to eeveryone." Right... I do care about that stuff, dont I...? I always beleived that if I went out of my way for others and it didnt mean that I got anything in return... I shouldnt help... This was definately a mindset that was brought on by my father... But... If I wanted to be with Marco... I looked at his upset expression... "I just dont understand why you have to take time out of your life to deal with this shit." I said. Marco narrowed his eyebrows at me, "Maybe you should just stay here, then. I thought you could learn something by going like being kind but you clearly dont care at all." Oh my God, "Maybe I should!" I exclaimed, "Why do I care about you or your fucking friends and family? Why are we even together!?" Marco was visably hurt and I stepped over to him, got in his face, and said, "Oh right. Because I fucking love you and you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. That's why I care about all that shit, Marco." He looked flabbergasted, "You're such a good person. That's why I think you shouldnt have to deal with things like this. You're the one who deserves to be selfish. Not me. But I know you're not ever going to be like that. And if I want to be with you I have to tone down my own selfish nature. So just ignore me being a socially awkward douchebag and let's go." I backed up and saw him trying to process what I had said. I grabbed my wallet, my keys to Nick, and to the dorm(I really needed a keychain). I went to open the dorm door when Marco hugged me from behind, wrapping his arms around my waist. I sighed softly. "Jean..." He mumbled into my shoulder, "I'm sorry... I just-" "I know." I interuppted, "And your right. I have to be less of an idiot who thinks he's only gonna do nice things for worthless shit later on." Marco let in a deep breath, then gently exhaled it... "Jean... Thomas is not a happy person... That's why he's doing this... I did it, too. For a reason. Not just because we wanted to be idiots... We all know it's not good for your body to drink constantly. Under the right circumstances, if something bad happens... I understand wanting to get drunk that same day... I mean, I'm not condoning it. And you have to deal with the pain eventually and better sooner than later but... I understand it... I did that during the summer when my dad got laid off by one of his jobs... I was so worried about them. But it's dangerous to do it nonstop..." I nodded a bit... I'm such a frickin idiot... So rude and selfish and stupid and just... Worthless. "No you arent." Marco said. And I realized that I had just said all of that out loud. "Jean... Maybe you are slightly selfish and a little brash but... You arent worthless and dont you dare think that you are, either. You're worth a lot to a lot of people, whether you think so or not..." I felt my face get hot. "Marco..." Marco turned me around to face him then he hugged me close. I hugged him back, "You're so fucking nice..." I said. He kissed my shoulder. I nudged him and he lifted his head, looking at me. I pressed my lips against his and let my eyes close. Marco kissed me back, pulling me closer to him. I tangled a hand into his hair and knew that my face was really flushed when the kiss started getting more heated, tongues intertwining. I felt his hands slide into the back pockets of my jeans and my face got hotter. He tasted good... This was a lot less uncomfortable than I thought it would be. We hadnt really had any kisses like this. Marco tried a couple of times but... I was too embarassed. And this time, I dont know why, I just didnt care. Marco pulled away after a satisfying amount of time and I opened my eyes, licking my lips. Marco studied my face and smiled. "C'mon." He said, letting me go and walking past me to open the dorm door. "Wait!" I said. He turned his head to look at me. "One more kiss?" I said. He grinned and rolled his eyes, "Needy." He then opened the door and headed out into the hall. I groaned and walked out behind him, closing and locking the door behind me then jogging to catch up with him, "Marco please!" I exclaimed. He laughed and took my hand. "Why?" He asked me. "Because you're a damn good kisser. Come on." He laughed harder and he turned slightly red. "Jean you're sweet but maybe later." "But Marrccoo..." I groaned. He grinned. "You finally get the balls to kiss me like that then you expect it nonstop." I spluttered at that. "Hey! It took me a while!" He kissed my cheek, "I know. Congrats." He said, letting my hand go and heading down the stairs with me trailing behind him, rolling my eyes.

The plane ride was shorter this time but... It was still boring as fuck. I didnt really do anything. Marco went to sleep, as per usual. When we got off of the plane and Marco turned his phone on, his text tone went off, like, 30 times and he looked really worried as he read the texts but he sighed with relief as he finished them, "Just Mina and Hitch freaking out and asking where I am." He tapped away at his phone and we headed down the escalator. I immediately saw Hitch and so did Marco as he jogged over to her and Mina. I trailed behind, walking. Mina stood as Marco approached, "Oh there you are!" She said as she hugged him. I heard Marco laugh softly and say, "Yeah. I was on a plane, Mina." "Sorry." She said, "I was just worried." Marco nodded and pulled away from her then went and hugged Hitch. Mina came over to me, "Hey, Jean. You know what's happeneing right?" "Oh yeah." I said, "I know." Then Hitch came over and hugged me, "I'm glad you're here, Jean!" She exclaimed. I hugged her back, "Ah. Yeah. Thanks?" She grinned and pulled away, patting me on the head. I rolled my eyes. "Okay! Let's go!" Mina said heading for the door. We all followed her to Thomas' van. "He's not here, is he?" Marco asked. Mina giggled, "No! That'd be bad." She then got into the driver's seat and Hith got into the passenger's seat. Marco and I got in the back. All of us closed our doors behind us and Mina started driving to Mattheius. I was actually really nervous about this... My leg started shaking and I twisted my nose ring... Marco suddenly took my hand. I looked at him and he smled softly, "It'll be alright..." He said. Then he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "Yeah yeah." I said, dropping my hand from my nose ring. We eventually pulled up at a giant University and I felt extremely intimidated. Mina parked and the four of us got out. "He hasnt been going to class since Monday." Mina said as we walked through the front door of the big building. It was so gorgeous. Clean and huge and well put together. I was terrified. I kept close to Marco and he held my hand. "Okay..." Marco said, knitting his eyebrows together. "Marco!" A voice exclaimed from down a hall behind us. We stopped ad turned as a guy with short spiky greyish hair and brown eyes, with a very thin face(so thin you could see every feature of his face)jogged over, followed by a guy with short black hair and an undercut with beady grey eyes. They were both smiling widely and Marco smiles back, "Hey, Daz. Tom." "Hey!" Tom exclaimed, "What're you doing here?" Marco chuckled softly, "I'm here to help Thomas out." "Oh yeah." Daz said, "Poor guy hasnt been in class all week." Then they turned their attention to me, "Who's this?" Tom asked. "Ah. This is my boyfriend, Jean. He goes to Coirtney in Pennysylvania with me." Marco said. I grinned a bit and rubbed the back of my head. "You go there, too? Holy shit." Tom said. "Yeah!" Daz exclaimed excitedly, "You guys got third, right? In that competition Marco was in for Coirtney." "Yeah." I said half grinning, "Pretty cool if you ask me." "It is!" Daz exclaimed, "I'm actually thinking about changing schools after that." "Oh my God. Really?" Marco asked. "Yeah. A lot of us are." Tom said. Marco laughed softly, "Everyone just piles in." "It could happpenn!" Tom exclaimed. "That would be so good for Coirtney's reputation." I mentioned and Marco nodded in agreement. "Right?" Tom said. "Well we'll let you get back to it!" Daz interuppted, "Thomas needs some guidance. Good luck, guys." Marco smiled, "Nice talking to you guys again." Then the four of us kept walking. We went outside and towards a building that was next to the courtyard. Clearly, this was the dorm building. The courtyard was gorgeous. Green grass and trees. Plus a fountain in the center and benches scattered around the lot. Gravel paths leading around to each building from the center. It's actually kind of hot. It's the end of January and it's slightly hot here. What? The four of us head to the building and Mina opens the door for us then comes in behind letting the door swing closed behind her. We were standing in a hallway and there were doors to room on the hallway opposite. We headed down the hall towards the stairs to the next floor. The inside of the building had wooden walls with light wooden doors and a red carpet. It was really nice. We went to the third floor of the building and we stopped at a door that said 307 C. Marco sighed a bit, letting go of my hand. "I'm gonna go in and talk to him." Mina nodded. Marco put his bag down next to the window on the opposite wall then knocked on the door. Obviously, it wouldnt be open. The rest of us stepped back. When the door opened after a long while, Thomas looked like shit. He was wearing just boxers and he was pale and had dark circles under his drooping eyes. He was frowning and squinting through the light and his hair was totally messed up. The lock of hair that Thomas has that's longer than the rest is still in a braid, though. "Oh shit..." He mumbled, covering one of his eyes and trying to focus on Marco, "What are you doing here...?" Marco pushed Thomas into the room and went in, closing the door behind him. I realized then that I was holding my breath. I let the air expell from my lungs. Mina sighed softly, "It could be a while. We may as well sit down." Mina then sat on the floor and Hitch followed suit. "Why dont we just go and wader around?" I asked. "If Marco needs us, we want to be here." Mina explained. True... I sat down, as well. This was going to be, hopefully, interesting. "So you and Marco are dating now?" Mina said to me. I felt my face get hot, "Ah. Yeah." I said, twisting my nose ring. She giggled, "He's a great guy, right?" I nodded, smiling, "Hell yeah he is. I dont deserve him. I'm not the best person." Mina laughed a bit. Hitch grinned and said, "I second that." I grinned back. "You know," Mina started, "I used to have a thing for him..." I was surprised, "Oh yeah?" Mina nodded, "Yeah. Hems so sweet and kind and he always knows what to do. Plus he's so talented. But he's, obviously, not into girls so that dream faded when I asked him out in highshool and he said he was gay." Wow. I felt kind of bad for her. I mean, Mina was a sweet and cute girl. "Wow." I said. Marco was an amazing guy who could genuinely have anyone he wanted. "At Coirtney, both girls and guys aks him out whether I'm there or not. And girls give me love notes to pass on to him. I throw those away, though. Fuck those girls." Mina and Hitch laughed. I grinned. Then there was a loud bang from inside the room and we all stopped laughing, looking towards the door... It was quiet... "Think they're okay?" I asked. Mina sighed softly, "Marco will ask if he needs help..." "R-Right.." I said, trying to relax and leaning back against the wall behind me. I sighed. After a little while, there was yelling coming from inside. It was Thomas' voice and Marco was not yelling back. There would be a pause in between each sentence that Thomas would yell where Marco was clearly talking. The yelling stopped soon enough. I was actuay getting really worried about Marco. I knew he could handle himself but... I had to worry. I was his boyfriend. Suddnely, there was a loud scuffling and a banging noise then Marco yelling, "Enough! Stop it, Thomas!" Mina grabbed my arm as I was about to stand and she pulled me back down, "Dont, Jean. He'll ask." She said, her eyebrows knitted together. I let out a shaky breath and sat back down. "Hitch get in here!" Marco yelled. Hitch jumped up as the door swung open from the inside. Hitch went in quickly, slamming the door behind her. After a lot of crashing around, Hitch came out of the room with a ton of bottles of wine, vodka, just alchohol. Everything. Plus some bottles of pills and the door slammed behind here. The sound pf Thomas yelling was obvious and Hitch looked like she'd been to Hell and back and she said to Mina, "Help me get these somewhere where we cam get rid of them." Mina nodded, standing. Then she looked at me and said, "Jean you stay here just in case Marco needs you." "Alright!" I exclaimed. Mina and Hitch ran down the hall and the stairs quickly. Shit. I stood up and prepared myself to go in. It started getting quieter in the room and it was a long while until Mina and Hitch came back. "Did you have to go in?" Mina asked. I shook my head, "Naw... It's quiet now." "Marco has everything under control now..." Hitch said, "We got rid of that stuff." I nodded. The door opened, then. And the three of us looked over. Marco came out sweating, his hair was a mess, and he had a bruise on his jaw. He let out a sigh and closed the door. I headed over to him. "Are you okay?" I asked, grabbed his chin and examining the bruise on his jaw. He let out a deep breath, "Yeah. Everything's okay... We just gotta stay for the next few days. I told him to text me when he wakes up tomorrow morning. We're gonna go out and do some stuff. Okay?" The three of us agreed. "But you didnt answer my question." I said raising an eyebrow. He smiled softly at me, "I'm okay, Jean..." "You've got a bruise here." I said, running my thumb over the bruise. He let out a shaky breath, "I'm fine, Jean." I sighed, pulling away after a few moments and going and handing Marco his bag. He took it and said to Mina and Hitch, "Please watch him. And call me if something happens." Mina nodded and handed him the keys to Thomas' car. "You dont need these? I was just going to walk." Marco said. "Marco, take them. We arent going anywhere." Mina said. Marco smiled softly, "Thanks..." He hugged both Mina and Hitch then Marco and I headed to the front of the University. There was no way I was telling him about the eating thing as long as this was happening. This wasn't about me, right? So I shouldn't, right?


	26. Ten Steps at a Time CH 15 (Marco)

We were planning to get back to Coirtney that saturday so my parents drove us to the airport after we said goodbye to everyone. When we got to the airport, my parents got out and pulled our bags out of the back. Then they both hugged me. My mother also hugged Jean and said, "I hope you can visit again, Jean." "I'm sure I will, Mrs. Bodt." He responded. "Camelia." She corrected. Jean smirked, "Right." My dad shook my Jean's hand, "Nice to meet you, Jean." He said, smiling, "Take care of Marco." I felt my face get a bit hot as Jean nodded and smiled. Then the two of us were on our way to our flight. The ride was pretty much the same as before except that I didnt wake up until the flight was over, thank goodness. When we got off of the plane in Pennysylvania at around seven and got our bags, we headed down down the escalator and saw Connie and Sasha waiting for us. "Hey!" Connie said, hugging Jean. "Hi, guys!" I exclaimed. Sasha hugged me then we switched and Sasha hugged Jean as Connie greeted me. The four of us started heading back to Coirtney. Jean and I in the back, Connie driving, and Sasha in the passenger's seat. "So, Pixis forgot about Secret Santa so now it's New Years Secret Santa." Connie said. Oh. A Secret Santa, huh? Jean groaned, "Dammit... I was happy we werent doing it. I got friggin Bertholdt last time. I cant work with that." "I think that sounds fun." I said. "Of course you do." He smirked at me. I smirked right back, "Hey! I'm offended." I exclaimed. Jean grinned, "You're a nerd." I rolled my eyes, "Right." "So!" Sasha started, "Anything interesting happen over the break?" Connie looked in the rearview mirror and wiggled his eyebrows at us. Jean turned pink. I smiled softly at him and said to Connie, "I found out that Jean doesnt like dogs." "Oh yeah. He hates them. My dog is the devil, apparently." Connie said. Jean grinned, "That thing peed on me, Connie." He laughed, "She pees on everyone! It means she likes you!" Jean laughed, "Dude! What the fuck? It does not!" Connie just laughed more. Jean shook his head. "You're an idiot." He said. "Hey!" Connie exclaimed. "Dont be rude to your chauffeur." Jean rolled his eyes, "Dude, I could pay for a limo." "Why didnt you, then?" Jean smirked, "Because you're a good friend who I dont have to pay." "But." Sasha said, "Did you two get anywhere?" Her suggestive tone was obvious. I just laughed softly, "You're funny." I heard Jean breathe a sigh of releif.

When we got back to campus, Connie and Sasha helped us get our things to our dorm. We were starting to unpack when Jean said, "Can I have that bed?" He pointed at my bed. What? "Why?" I asked, "Because I was nice and gave you the good one but now I want it." Jean said with a straight face. Pft! I laughed and said, "I dont care. Take it. Whatever." "Yesss!" He was so endearing. I grinned at him then went over and hugged him close. He smiled, hugging me back and tangling a hand in my hair. Again with the hair. "You are just obsessed with hair..." I said. "I guess so..." He responded. I kissed his cheek. He tried to pull away from me but I held onto his hands. "No." Jean saaid, "I have to unpackkk." I just pulled him back to my chest, smiling. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Marcooo." "You're warm, Jean." I said. Jean sighed again. "You are, too, but I gotta unpack." I nuzzled my face into his neck. "God. You're so grabby." Jean said softly. I chuckled into his neck, "Aw c'mon. You know you like it..." Jean just said, "Marco." "No. Please." I responded. He groaned, "You're the one being fucking needy now!" I laughed, "Dont care." Then the door was slammed open. I was pushed away by Jean quickly and Reiner yelled, "I SAW IT!" "Noo!" Jean yelled. I laughed, "I dont care. Go tell the world, Reiner!" I said. "Dude!" Jean exclaimed. I pulled Jean close to my chesr again unconsciously. He pushed against me really hard, "Get the fuck off!" He exclaimed. Woah. I let him go slightly then. Reiner was running down the hall screaming, "JEANMARCO IS OFFICIAL!" Jean went limp in my grip and groaned. I chuckled softly and a little nervously and let him go. He ran to the doorway and looked back and forth between the two directions he could go in. "It's too late, Jean. He's already yelled it." I said, "I can still beat him up!" He exclaimed. "Jean, he's going to kill you if you try that." "No he wont! You forgot, I've been tackled by this guy!" He suddenly ran down the hallway to the left. I followed quickly behind him, speed walking. Reiner hide behind Bertholdt who looked horrified. I saw Jean try to get past Bertholdt when Annie ran past me from behind and pulled Jean to the floor. He fell on his back and when he jumped back up and go for Reiner again, I grabbed him and held him back. "You look like you're gonna rip my head off!" Reiner exclaimed, coming out from behind Bertholdt. "I am!" Jean yelled, "I will when Marco lets me go!" "Jean. No." I said. "Question." Reiner said to me, "How do you date someone so hot-headed?" I laughed softly. "Whatever!" Jean said, "You cant just go and yell something that someone doesnt want you yelling! The only reason why I didnt stop you from yelling it was because Marco delayed me by holding me back for ten seconds!" He growled. Now I felt bad... "I'm sorry..." I said softly in his ear, "I shouldnt have done that..." He sighed and stopped struggling. Then he ripped away from me and went back down the hall towards our dorm. I sighed softly... "I'm sorry about him. I was the one who caused this. I should have let him stop you, Reiner." "No, man! It's cool." Reiner said, grinning, "We're all happy for you." I looked at the three of them and they nodded. I smiled softly then went down the hall and back into our dorm, closing the door behind me, "Jean. I'm really sorry. I didnt mean to hold you back. I was just being my normal 'grabby' self." I said. He sighed, "You owe me now." I smirked, "Whatever you want." "You also owe me from the first time we met and I helped you find your studio." He reminded me. Oh my God that felt like an eternity ago even though that had just happened at least six months ago. Jean put the last of his clothes away and put his peices where they belonged on his desk. I felt bad. I laughed softly, "Right, Jean... But I'm seriously sorry." "It's okay, Marco." I was about to start unpacking again when Jean suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, shit! Marco!" I looked at him. "I have to show you something!" He grabbed my arm. "Right now? But I'm still unpacking." "Come on! You can do that later!" He exclaimed. Insighed and looked at him. I didnt know about this... "Please? Come on." He said. It seemed important so... "Okay okay." I said. He grinned, "Hell yes! Grab your studio key!" What? "My own studio key?" I asked. Jean nodded. I raised an eyebrow and went to my desk to get my studio key out, "C'mon. Let's go." Jean said, grabbing my hand and pulling me out into the hall. I smirked. "Ahh! He's back!" Reiner yelled from down the hall. Jean smirked and closed and locked the dorm door behind us. He then phlled me down the hall. I was kind of worried. "Jean, what is this?" He just grinned and said, "Come on. Trust me." I wasnt sure if I trusted him.

We walked past Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie to get to the stairs. Reiner was screaming at the top of his lungs as we passed. I was lead outside and we trudged through the snow towards the studio building. I was getting really nervous. "Jean. I'm genuinely scared." I said. He laughed, "Why?" He asked, "Dont be. It's good." I laughed softly, "Okay, Jean." I decided to trust him. We went into the studio building and down the hall to my studio. Jean turned to me. And he suddenly got very pink in the face. He looked down, "Erm... So, I got you something for Christmas..." What? "But it was too big to bring to your house so... I left it in your studio..." Oh my God. "Jean... That's so sweet. You didnt have to do that..." I scrunched my eyebrows together and couldnt help smiling. "I wanted to, though..." Jean said. I pulled him into a hug and he hugged me back and mumbled, "You havent even seen it yet..." He ran a hand through my hair. I chuckled softly, "I dont have to see it... It's the fact that you got me something... Jean, I'm gonna feel like crap because whatever your present to me is, mine to you is going to be inferior..." I had gotton Jean shoes and he got me something that was impossible to carry? "Marco you seriously didnt have to do anything for me. I dont want you to waste money on me. A peice of art from you would be perfect..." I shrugged, "It's okay." Jean pulled away from me and I smiled, unlocking and opening my studio door. I went in and scanned the big room. It looked the same as before until my eyes landed on the most beautiful vintage pottery wheel I'd ever seen. "Oh my God you're crazy, Jean." I said as I went over to it. He shouldnt have done this... Jean came over to me, smiling. I must have looked like a giant dork with the the grin I had on my face. "Jean, this is so nice of you..." Jean looked down, shoving his hands in his pockets. I hugged him tightly and he hugged me back. "You're ridiculous, Jean. How much money did you spend on this?" He laughed softly, "Um. A lot. But it's okay. Like I said, I have money coming out of my ass. It's fine." "You should get that checked out." I responded, nuzzling my face into his neck. Jean didnt touch my hair... "No hair touching this time?" I asked him, "Can I touch yours'?" I started lacing my fingers into his hair and he said, "You can touch it if you want to. But you're the only one allowed to touch it." I chuckled softly, "I'm okay with that." I said. I looked at him and smiled, bumping our noses together then kissing him. He smirked into the kiss and returned it. But then he pulled away from me when the kiss started getting more heated. He was really red. I raised an eyebrow at him. That was... Weird and unexpected. I heard Jean clear his throat. "... Is there a problem?" I asked him. He shrugged a bit, refusing to look at me. It was quiet. This was so endearing... "You know you dont have to be embarassed, right?" I said, stepping closer to him and surpressing my urge to kiss his face and call him cute. I grabbed his hands. "Yeah." He said, "Doesnt mean I'm not." I hummed softly, "I understand. I want you to be as comfortable as possible." He looked at me. I just smiled. "Thank you for getting me the pottery wheel. I really appreciate it, Jean..." He smiled back, "No problem. Now what did you get me?" Of course. I laughed a bit, "I got you shoes. You're welcome." "Are they Uggs?" He knows. I just stared at him, grinning. He laughed, "Holy shit they are, arent they?!" I laughed, too, "Yes they are! But the other pair are boots. So dont worry. I didnt just get you Uggs." Jean was cracking up so hard that he was turning pink. "Oh my fucking God!" He exclaimed, "Amazing!" I laughed softly. "Are they back at the dormroom?" He asked. I nodded. "Let's go!" He then ran out of the studio room. I grinned and came out of the room, watching my boyfriend run down the hall, not waiting for me. "Hurry up!" I heard him yell at me. I laughed and made my way down the hall. He was waiting for me at the door leading outside. Weirdo. The two of us made our way back to the dorm building. We were going to the stairs when Ymir called us from the couch with, "Yo! Guys!" I smiled, excited to talk to her and Christa. "Hey, Ymir." I said, making my way over to them. "Hi Christa." Christa smiled at me. "And how are you, Jean?" Ymir asked, giving him a smirk. He glared at her. I elbowed Jean and when he looked at me, I gave him an understanding smile. He studied my face. Please be bigger than this... He sighed and forced a smile in Ymir's direction, "ai'm good. How are you?" Ymir nodded, "Just fine. Anything different happen over the break?" "Other than Marco and I starting to go out? Nope." Jean... Ymir narrowed her eyebrows, "You guys are dating now?" "Oh I'm so happy for you!" Christa exclaimed. "Since when?" Ymir said. "Since your mom." He answered. I really tried not to laugh, covering my mouth. What did that even mean? "What the Hell does that even mean?" Ymir exclaimed. Exactly. "Im in too much of a good mood to be brought down by you. Now goodbye." Jean replied, then he went back to the stairs and went up. Man... "I apologize about that." I said, letting out a small and, hopefully, casual laugh.

I soon came back to the room, smirking, after apologizing thoroughly about Jean's behavior. "Jean. You cant just leave me to deal with the aftermath." I said. Jean laughed, "That's why you're here, though!" I laughed, too. "Oh really? That's why you're dating me? So I can deal with what you dont want to deal with?" He smirked softly, "Yes." He said, stepping over to me, "But, secretly, I'm dating you because I like you a ton." I felt my face get flushed. I smiled. Sweet. "I like you, too..." I said. He kissed me breifly. I grinned and Jean smirked, "Now where are the Uggs?" He asked. Right. I chuckled and headed over to the closet and opened it, reaching up and pulling two shoe boxes down, then setting them on my bed. Jean walked over and I opened both boxes. The Uggs were grey with white fluff as accents. The boots were black and went to right above the ankles and they had red rubber soles. "Hell yes!" Jean exclaimed. Then he kissed my nose. I smiled more and laughed softly. "Thanks, Marco. You really didnt have to." I chuckled, wrapping my arms around his waist, "I had to. You deserve it." He laughed softly, playing with my hair with both of his hands, "I really dont. I'm the worst... But thanks..." Marco made a hummed softly. "I love you, Jean..." His face got really pink and he half smiled, "I love you, too, nerd."

We started class again on January 5th, 2015. We were in Pixis' class and he said, "Okay. Everyone line up. We're doing Secret Santa. We'll give presents on Valentine's Day." Then he shook the baseball cap that a bunch of slips of paper were in. Yes! I stood and heard Jean groan from next to me. Right. He didnt want to. I smirked and pulled him up. The two of us headed to the line and as I got in line behind Connie, he said, "Oh come on, Jean!" Then he clapped Jean on the back, "It'll be great! Maybe you'll get someone better than last year. No offense Bert!" "None taken." Bertholdt responded. Jean sighed, "Maybe... You guys can go first." He said, going to the very end of the line. I got my paper quickly and it was Pixis. I was okay with that. It was pretty easy. Everyone was at their seats when Jean finally got up there. Pixis raised his eyebrows and shook the hat, smiling. Jean took the last name then headed back to his seat next to me. I smiled at him sympathetically. He smirked back and opened the strip of paper, reading the name. I was turning back to my sketchbook, ready to continue sketching when Jean suddenly screamed, "JAEGAAARRRR!" And everybody groaned as Connie and I cracked up. "Jean!" Pixis exclaimed, "Now we have to do it over again!" Everyone got back up and put their slips of paper back into the hat. Jean was first this time and I watched him go back to our table, look at his sheet of paper, and slam his head down on the table. After I grabbed my new sheet of paper, I headed back to my seat slowly, so I could read the name without tripping. It was Annie this time. Now I had a bit more of a challenge. I glanced at Annie for a moment before sitting down next to Jean and whispered to him, "Who'd you get?" He slid the paper to me and I looked at it. Eren again... sighing, I said, "I'm sorry, Jean..." He shook his head, "Whatever... I'll get him a good present." "Jean. Dont be mean." I warned. Jean didnt respond. "Okay!" Pixis started, "Listen up everybody!" I looked at Pixis as Jean raised his head off the desk. "We will be doing a life drawing starting next month. I bet you all remember that from your freshman foundation year. I think they do that at Mattheius, too." Yep. And it was very awkward for me. I nodded a bit. "But. We need a volunteer. And we dont have anyone yet." Pixis said, "Does anybody in here want to do it at all?" Everybody was quiet. "Marco should do it!" Sasha suddenly yelled. What?! My face got hot. Jean's hand shot up and he had a massive grin on hus face, "I second that!" I gasped, "Noo!" I exclaimed. "DO IT!" Reiner yelled. I covered his my with my hands and shook my head, "No way!" "Bah leave the boy alone, you crazies." Pixis said, "We'll find someone." "Of course you'd second that, Jean!" Eren yelled. I looked at Jean. He glared at him, "Yeah. Dating much?" It was quiet. "Woah what?" Connie exclaimed, "You're dating?! Why didnt you tell me?!" Jean looked at him with a "really bitch?" expression. I smiled at that. Connie stared at him before sighing, "Right right." He said. "Wait you're dating?!" Eren exclaimed. "No, Jaeger. I just said that for fun." Jean rolled his eyes. "Anyways!" Pixis exclaimed, "In the meantime, I want you to do a collaboration project. So, get into groups of three and-" "Marco and Sasha!" Connie yelled. Oh... I laughed softly. "Dude!" Jean exclaimed, sounding offended, "What the hell?!" "I'll be in a group with you, Jean!" Armin said. "And I actually want to work with Jean and Armin, Connie... Sorry." I said. Connie groaned, "Dammit, Marco. Quit being so nice to Jean! He doesnt deserve that." "I second that." Jean said, raising his hand slowly. I slapped his hand down, "Stop that." I said to him. "Go with your group, then!" Pixis interuppted our banter. Armin came over and pulled up a chair, sitting on the opposite side of our table. Connie, Sasha, and Annie were a group. Mikasa, Reiner, and Eren were a group. And Ymir, Christa, and Bertholdt were a group. "Okay. So." Pixis started, "We will be doing an advertisement." Everyone groaned. I was actually kind of excited. Then Jean yelled, "Whooo!" "Shut up, horseface!" Eren exclaimed. Jean threw a pencil at him and it hit him on the shoulder. I laughed. "Hey!" He yelled. Pixis threw a pencil at Jean and it hit him on the top of the head, "Shut up, Jean. I'm talking." He said, "Now. You will be designing an advertisement. And I want it to be for a movie. Any movie at all. You can make up a movie for all I care. So go ahead and start planning." Pixis finished. Jean turned to us and immediately said, "Horseman and the Return of the Jaegarnauts." Armin and I laughed. "Perfect!" I said, "I love that. Armin?" Armin was cracking up and he nodded. Jean grinned. "We really shouldnt..." Armin said, "But it's too funny to not." "Hell yeah!" "Oh man." Armin said, "Eren is going to be mad." "Dont worry I'll protect you." Jean said to Armin. He smirked. "I'll be right back." I said, standing. I had to go to the restroom. "Kay." Jean said. I then headed out. I sighed softly as I walked down the hallway to the restroom. I got in there and Gerald was washing his hands. He saw me in the mirror and smiled, "Hey! Marco!" He exclaimed, grabbing a paper towel. I smiled back, "Hey." I glanced at the urinals. Nope. I headed into a stall. When I came back out, Gerald was still there, leaning against the wall. Weird. I washed my hands. "So." Gerald started, "How have you been?" "Ah. Great. Thanks." I responded, smiling, "And you?" "Fine..." He responded. Awkward... It was quiet as I dried my hands. "How's Jean?" He suddenly asked. "Um... He's fine." I said, "Why?" I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. He shrugged, "Just wondering about his health is all." Huh? "What about his health?" I asked. "I figured you'd know by now. Considering you're dating and such." How did he know we were dating? "How did you find out?" I asked, narrowing my eyebrows. "Oh. I heard Reiner." Right. Reiner kind of screamed it to the world. "Right... Well. What about his health?" Gerald just shrugged. That's weird... I figured he was just being bitter about Jean and I going out now so I just said, "Bye." And headed out of the bathroom, not waiting for a response. I was confused and annoyed.

All we did when I came back was work on planning our advertisement. That's basically all we did for the next few days, as well. It wasnt until Friday that the three of us did anything other than that. The groups were really hard at work for some reason. We were in the commons building on the second floor where all the studying couches and chairs and tables were. It was around five and I was about done sketching out what we had decided that we would do. We each came up with an individual sketch then we morphed them together. It was very interesting. There was a guy dressed in galatic armor in the middle and he had the head of a horse. He was standing like he was riding a horse of his own. On the left side, there were headshots of robots that had Eren's hair. And on the right were two headshots. One of Armin who was talking into an ear peice and the other of me. I was half robot, we decided. Jean kept laughing and he wouldnt stop for nearly an hour. Armin eventually said, "We've been working almost all day all this week. We should go do something fun." I looked at him. "We should." I agreed. "Alright." Jean said. I stretched my back and said, "What do you guys want to do?" Armin shrugged a bit. "I dont know. You guys hungry?" Jean asked us. "Yeah." Armin said, "We should go get dinner." I smiled softly and shrugged a bit, "Whatever you guys want to do." I felt like just following them around and not trying to contribute. Jean grinned, "We should walk." He said, standing up. He grabbed our advertisement to go and put it in his studio. Walking? I smirked, "Why are we going to walk?" "For fun." Jean answered. "Be right back." Jean then headed downstairs with the paper. "So. You and Jean, huh?" Armin said. I felt my face get hot. I smiled and nodded, "Yeah..." I said. "Is he a good boyfriend?" He asked. I shrugged, "He's not very good at the social part about it but... He's okay, I suppose. I'm sure he'll get the hang of it." Armin nodded, "He's been with people before but he always was the one getting broken up with. He isnt very good at the communication aspect of it." I nodded. Makes sense. "So you guys got together over the break?" Armin asked. I nodded. "How did that happen?" "Well... It was a few days before New Years and we just got caught up in something we were doing and... He ended up asking me out." Armin smiled, "Good! Everyone's been waiting for it to happen." What? "Huh?" I asked, confused. "Everyone knew you two had feelings for eachother." Armin continued. "Was it that obvious?" I asked. Armin nodded, "Prett much." Well that was awkward... "How long have you been dating for?" Armin asked. "Oh, just a week and a half." I thought you guys were going to make me feel like the third wheel but you two dont really act much different than before." Armin said. I laughed softly. "Oh. Armin, you will never be a third wheel." I saw Jean come up the stairs and I smiled as he walked over. He half smiled back. And Armin and myself stood up, grabbing our bags. Jean grabbed his own bag then the three of us headed out of the building. "Jean. Seriously." I said, taking his hand as Armin walked on his other side, "Why are we walking?" He just smiled at me, "I just felt like wanting to walk. Now that you're starting to get over your vehicle fear, we havent really walked anywhere." Oh wow... He was right. I nodded in understanding, "You're right. I forgot that I used to walk everywhere." Sudenly, my phone started ringing. What? Who could that possibly be? I let Jean's hand go, pulling my phone out of my pocket and answering with, "Hello?" "Hey!" Thomas exclaimed. I narrowed my eyebrows, "I gotta tell you something. So, I'm in this part of Mattheius in the senior district where this junior friend of mine found out they sell pills, dude. I dont know if I should get them but I really want to." My eyes widened, "Dude! Get the Hell out of there!" I stopped walking when Thomas said, "But pills, Marco." "I really dont care," I said, "Messing around with that shit is idiotic!" "But, Marco-" "Thomas Wagner if you do not let this go, I will fly to Texas and make you." I exclaimed. "Marco. I could-look-... You want some?" I was silent... Maybe... No. I couldnt. I sighed, "I dont do that stuff anymore, Tom-and dont you dare send me any!" "Oh come on. Pills, dude." He said. "Again. I dont care. I dont want you to hurt yourself. I'm gonna hang up now and leave you to your decision. You can text me when you've figure yourself out." He was about to say somethring else but I hung up, sighing and extremely worried. "What was that?" Armin asked. Oh right... These guys were still here. I shook my head, "My friend, Thomas, at Mattheius did some really really dangeous stuff during highschool involving pills and alchohol and we've been lucky enough to get him off of it in the past year but... He found out that he could get some from someone at Mattheius..." I shook my head again in dissapointment, putting my phone back into my pocket. "Marco." Armin started, "Is he going to be okay?" I sighed, shrugging, "I dont know. Hopefully he'll make the right choice. It's not my decision. And im in Pennysylvania and he's in Texas so unless I fly there, I dont have any control. Which I might have to fly there in a couple of days if he doesnt do the right thing and it gets bad like before...""You said," Jean suddenly started, "'I dont do that stuff anymore.'" He raised an eyebrow and I knitted my eyebrows together, nodding, and smiling guiltily, "Y-Yeah. I stopped doing what Thomas was doing during my sophmore year of highschool." "Marco why did you do all this stuff?" Jean. Remember these things, please. I sighed softly and stopped smiling, "Because my sister died..." He groaned, realizing it was a dumb question, "Sorry, Marco..." I smiled a bit and went over to him, kissing his cheek, "It's okay, Jean." "Marco dont forgive me so quickly. I'm fucking rude!" He exclaimed. "Jean dont make this about yourself." Armin warned. Jean sighed, "Yeah yeah! Whatever!" I smiled softly. "All I can do now is wait. So I'm not going to worry until later on if he does something stupid... Come on." I said, then I put an arm around Jean's shoulder an my other arm around Armin's shoulder and the three of us kept walking. We went to dinner and when we came back, Armin said that he knew of this place that overlooked the whole city and we all agreed that we should go up there. So Armin drove Jean's car up to the location and we all got out, the windows to the car still open and the car still on so we could hear the music coming through. The car was driven close to the edge of the cliff we were now on and Jean immediately climbed up and stood on top of the car. The sun was setting so the sky was purple, pink, and yellow. It was cold but it was still very nice. Armin climbed up next to Jean and sat down. I got up on top of the car and sat in between the two of them. Armin took his sketchbook out of his bag and started sketching in it. "Armin, this is cool." Jean said. Armin laughed softly, "It is, right?" Jean nodded in response. My phone suddenly vibrated and I pulled it out of my pocket and unlocked it, tapping away at it after reading a text from Thomas that said, "Didnt get em happy?" I smiled, "Thomas didnt do it..." I said. "Thank God." Armin said. I was so relieved, "He resisted and didnt get it..." Jean grinned, leaning over and kissing me on the temple, "Looks like you made a lasting impression." Oh... I felt my face get hot and I directed my smile at him. I leaned forwards and kissed him on the lips gently for a few moments. He was very pink when I pulled back. He half smiled and scooted closer to me. So I decided to pull him onto my lap. "There is no need for this." He said. I just laughed softly and wrapped my arms around his waist. He rested his back against my chest and I nuzzled my face into his neck. "You guys are really cute." Armin said. Jean smelled really good and I didnt want to look up. "Why dont you take a picture?" Jean said playfully, "It'll last longer." Then I heard the snap of a photo beingn taken. Jean laughed softly, "Weirdo." He said. Armin laughed, too. I just hummed into his neck and I felt Jean's hand reach up to snake into my hair. I heard Armin take another picture but I didnt mind. "Love you, Jean..." I said into his neck softly. "Love you, too..." He responded

We got back later on and I stayed up for a few hours after to work on some peices but I went to bed after that. It was a few weeks later when the art competition was. It was on a Wednesday and would last for the entirety of Pixis' class. I got dressed up for it. I wore a white button up shirt, a black tie, suit jacket, slacks, and dress pants. I combed my hair for longer than I usually did in the mornings then went over to Jean to wake him up. I looked at him, smiling to myself. He was lying on his back, an arm draped over his face. One of his legs was out from under the blankets, as per usual. He always had one leg out for some reason. But I thought it was quirky and endearing. He had amazing bedhead. He always does. I noticed after a short time of us being in the same dorm that he snored. Not terribly but it was kind of erratic. It could be completely silent then Jean would suddenly snort so loud that it sounded like an airplane had just crashed into the building. It scared me on multiple occasions. Anyways! I leaned down and gently shook Jean's shoulder. He got up, rubbing his eyes and asking, "Why are you dressed like that?" I grinned and pulled him close to my chest, "Because that national competition is today. During Pixis' class." I said. He laced his fingers into my hair, "You're skipping class, then?" I nodded and Jean smiled, "Good luck." He said, "I hope you win." How sweet. I smiled at him, "Can I use your car?" I asked. He nodded, "Yeah. Of course." "Thank you, Jean." I said. He sighed softly, "You look so good." He said. No. My face got flushed and I laughed. "Thank you..." I leaned in to kiss him but he leaned away, "My breath is bad, Marco. You dont want to do that." Oh really? I smirked and pulled him closer to me then kissed him on the lips. I felt him kiss me back and I pulled back after a good amount of time. "You're breath is just fine..." I said, hugging him close. I squeezed Jean slightly, taking in how he felt in my arms. He was light... And definately slim but. It wasnt too terrible. He didnt look or feel extremely underweight but... It made me wonder. "Marco. Am I getting... Soft?" Jean asked. I let my concern go for the moment and chuckled softly, shaking my head, "No, Jean... You're the same as before. Just a lot more compassionate... It's good..." I would have to ask Jean about his weight subtly. "I love you..." I said. "I love you, too, man..." He responded. Really? 'Man?' I sighed, "Jean-" "Sorry. Sorry." He interuppted, "How about: 'I love you, too, babe'?" Oh God. I kind of squeaked but instead I made some weird strangled sound. Jean laughed, "What was that?" He asked. I laughed, too, "Please call me that." I said. I heard the grin in his voice as he said, "Sure." It was quiet then I pulled away slightly. Jean's eyes looked me up and down. He sighed, "God you're so handsome and it's not fucking fair." He said. No. I must have been beet red at this point. I laughed, "Jean. Stoppit... You're just as attractive." He smirked then groaned and shuffled into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. I decided that I should most likely head out now. So I headed out, grabbing my wallet, room key, and the keys to Jean's car. I went out to the black vehicle and got in, turning it on then backing out of the parkig spot wobbily. I didnt crash, though. I made my way to the building where the competition would be held. The giant building was slightly intimidating but I got out of the car and locked it behind me, heading to the front door. There was a sign on the door that said, "Students competing: Go into the main convention room." I sighed softly and went into the building. There were a few people in the main foyer who watched me as I passed which kind of freaked me out but... It was alright. I just went towards the double doors that led into the convention room, I assumed. It had a sign on it that said, "Students enter here." I was right. I headed into there and there were a bunch of people in there. Intimidation. Heart attack. Death. Those were my exact thoughts. In that order. I scanned the room until I saw the familiar blonde hair and eyebrows that I knew belonged to the dean of Coirtney. I made my way over to the group of two seniors and Erwin. "Marco!" Erwin exclaimed. "Hi." I said, smiling. "Hey, Marco." One of the respresentatives said. Gerald. Shhhhhh-ugar... He looked... Nice. His hair was all combed back, he wasnt wearing his glasses, and he had nice black skinny jeans, a yellow long sleeved button down shirt, and a red bow tie on. Plus brown dress shoes. "Hey, Gerald." I said. "Oh. So you know Gerald. Good. This is Sarah." Erwin said, gesturing to the pretty brunette girl standing next to Gerald. She smiled and waved and I smiled back. "I'll let you three get situated. All of your peices are set up here." He pointed to the four peices that were being held up very professionally on racks that were attatched to a cart on wheels. I recognized mine and felt very self conscious all of a sudden. It was a painting of a close up of a woman leaning against the trunk of a giant tree in a forest, her hair flowing. I used Mikasa as a model so it looked like her. One of the seniors submitted two peices. "Which one is yours?" I asked Sarah. She smiled and flushed red, I thought. She pointed to the one that was a life drawing of some sheep. It was very cute. I smiled, "I like it. It's so simple. We need more of that in art, dont you think?" She nodded, smiling widely, "Y-Yeah, Marco! I agree." She said enthusiastically. So Gerald submitted two peices. They were both just of geometric shapes and patterns in a bunch of different colors. They were cool. "What did you use to make these?" I asked him. "Sharpie." He deadpanned. "Oh. Uhm. That's nice." I responded, smiling nervously at him. "Can we talk?" He asked me. "Y-Yeah? Sure." He led me away from Sarah with an, "Excuse us." And we went and stood next to the main door. "So. I've been thinking." He started. Well that was dangerous. "Yeah?" I responded, raising an eyebrow. "And I think you should dump Jean. And be with me. I can totally make you happier." Oh... Remain calm. How utterly blunt of him... "No thanks." I said. "Look, Geral-" "But he totally doesnt deserve you, Marco." I sighed. "Gerald I dont want to go out with you." He just stared at me, "You will." "No I wont. I'm dating somebody I really love... I think you need to get over it... Please." Gerald just kept staring. It was quiet. I shifted uncomfortably. "Right." He said, "Of course. How's Jean?" What was this change of mood? "He's fine... Do you really care, though?" He clearly wasnt a fan of my boyfriend. Gerald feigning concern, put a hand to his chest, and said, "Yes. Of course. Just worried about his health it all." I narrowed my eyebrows, "Okay. What is this about his health? Do you even know anything about his health?" Gerald crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows at me, "He has some weight issues. You know. The usual." I didnt know if that was true... Jean was slim but I didnt see it... "I... How do you even know?" "We were friends in highschool, remember?" He said. I gritted my teeth together, "Until you started acting strange and he dumped you as a friend. I dont want you to get near me or any of my friends, okay? You're being ridiculous." I said, ending this conversation by walking back over to where Sarah was. I didnt feel like messing with him. But... If someone else had noticed Jean's frame, maybe I wasnt crazy in thinking so much about it. However, if Gerald had noticed, maybe it was weird that it was on my mind so often. Gerald was not a person who had a normal inner monologue. I hadnt noticed any weird shifts or habits in his diet... Maybe I was just un observant when it came to this, though... He was eating pretty alright. But we hadnt gone out for meals together in a while. I tried to think about how he ate when he, Armin, and myself went to dinner... Because he was eating decently every time I went to dinner with him before that. He ordered two meals once around the time we first became friends, I recalled, but he barely ate that. At our recent outing, he ate just fine... I decided that worrying about it wouldnt be the best thing so I just... Set it aside as something that Gerald was just spouting about.

I didnt talk to Gerald the rest of the time we wre at the competition. Soon, Erwin came over and told us they were going to begin filming and calling in contestants to the judges. The schools would go in one at a time and Coirtney ended up being in line right behind Mattheius. "Hey! Marco!" Hitch exclaimed, hugging me tightly. I smiled, hugging her back, "Hitch! Hi!" I greeted her. She pulled away, her signature grin spread across her face. "Lemme see your work." I said. She practically glowed. We went over to her cart and she pointed at a watercolor of a pond of fish. I smiled softly at the painting, "It's so cute, Hitch. I love the shading." She smiled in response, "Let's see yours'." She said. I lead her over to the Coirtney cart and showed her my peice. She looked at it, "I love it, Marco. It's so bright." I smiled and felt my face get flushed. "Hey. So. I gotta tall to you about Thomas." She suddenly said. Oh no. I looked at her, my smile fading. "Yeah?" I asked. "Well... His grandad died a few days ago." "T-The one on his dad's side?" I asked. Please say no. He's so close to him. "Yeah. That one... Thomas got a hold of a ton of alcohol and pills and he just..." She trailed off. I sighed... Crap... "Do you need me to come to Texas?" She nodded slowly. I knew it. "Okay... I'll be there in a few days, okay?" She nodded again. "Thank you, Marco." I sighed softly. When Coirtney was called, the four of us went in. The judges asked each of us about out works and they asked Erwin some questions too. I was dying of nerves. Everything was happening at once. I had to find out if Jean was okay, I had to get Thomas to be okay, this competition was happening right now, and arrrgg! I just couldnt do all these things at once! After we were done, I got out of that building and breathed a breath of fresh air... I went back in after a bit and talked to some people who gave me their bussiness cards. Then I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I checked it and saw a text from Jean that said, "You did great! Third place is awesome, Marco!" They must have been watching in class. I smiled, texting back with, "Thank you, Jean. 3" Then I texted again with, "Gerald was being weird... He kept talking about you." "Why? How was he talking about me?" He texted me. "I'll tell you when I get back. You guys in the commons building?" "Yep." "Kay. See you in a bit. Love you." "Love you too, Marco." I smiled softly. I grabebd my piece, putting it in the back of Jean's car before driving back to campus. I decided that talking to Jean about his health was something I would do in private with him. I put my piece back in my studio then headed to the commons building. I headed up the stairs and I saw Jean coming for me immediately, hugging me tightly. I laughed and hugged him back. "God, Jean, you act like you havent seen me in years." "Naw." He said, "I'm just proud of you." I pecked him on the lips and his face turned pink. He grinned and grabbed my hand, walking over to where Armin was and sitting back down. I sat next to him. I noticed how much of the piece they had colored in. "Oh, you guys have a lot done." I said. "Yeah." Armin agreed, smiling. "What happened with Gerald?" Jean suddenly changed the subject. Right. Armin looked up from the advertisement at that. "Oh yeah." I said, "He was saying things like, 'Jean doesnt deserve you.' And, 'I can make you happy.'" I saw Jean's face scrunch in frustration. "I'm going to-" I interuppted him with, "I told him that he needed to leave me and everyone I know alone from now on because he was being very terrible." "I'll still fuck him up!" He exclaimed. I sighed and smiled softly, "You shouldnt do that. Violence doesnt need to be used at this point. If he messes with anyone I know and care about, though, you have my permission to threaten him." Jean groaned, "But I want to beat him up. Not threaten him." I kissed his cheek, "Jean. Please listen to me." He sighed... Then nodded. My mind remembered Thomas then... "Hitch also said something to me and I might have to fly to Texas in few days or so..." Jean narrowed his eyebrows at me. I sighed, "Thomas started drinking again." He raised his eyebrows, "Oh man... Okay... Well..." "Why did he start doing that?" Armin asked. "He's just stressed out." I said, "And he recently had a death in the family. His grandfather passed away and they were very close. Mina and Hitch are trying to help but I have to be there, too." Jean sighed. Maybe Jean coming with me would be a good idea, I had suddenly thought. He could learn something about helping others. "Jean. Would you mind coming with me?" I said. He spluttered, "The fuck? Why?" I shrugged, "Maybe you can help?" Jean grimaced. "I'll just be an issue, Marco. I dont get anything, man." What? I knitted my eyebrows together in confusion, "What do you mean?" "I mean-" Armin interuppted then, "He doesnt get why Thomas is drinking." Jean rolled his eyes but... That was probably true. "Well," I started, "Thomas is in pain from the stress of school and the death of his grandad and probably from some other things going on in his life. So, in order to feel good, he's drinking." Jean nodded a bit, "Doesnt he know how dangerous that is?" He asked. Really, Jean? I stared at him in disbelief and nodded, "Yeah. I did, too. At that point, you just dont care." "Yeah. I"ll go with you." He said. I smiled softly, "Good."

We finished our advertisement that evening and Armin said that he would hold onto it that weekend when we would go to Texas. It was Friday now. "We just got back three weeks ago now we're going on another plane." I heard Jean mumble, as I was putting some clothes and toiletries into a carry-on bag. Maybe him coming wouldnt be the best idea after all... I let out an annoyed, exasperated, sigh and turned to him, "Jean you dont have to go if you dont want to." Jean groaned then it was quiet and I sighed again, "Jean. You just need to realize that this is a big deal... You should at least try to act like you care. You need to be nice not just to people who might help you later on. But to eeveryone." Jean studied my face, "I just dont understand why you have to take time out of your life to deal with this shit." He said. I narrowed my eyebrows at him, "Maybe you should just stay here, then. I thought you could learn something by going like being kind but you clearly dont care at all." "Maybe I should! Why do I care about you or your fucking friends and family? Why are we even together!?" Stabbed with knife. Ow. Jean stepped over to me and got in my face. I was ready to push him when he said, "Oh right. Because I fucking love you and you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. That's why I care about all that shit, Marco." What? "You're such a good person. That's why I think you shouldnt have to deal with things like this. You're the one who deserves to be selfish. Not me. But I know you're not ever going to be like that. And if I want to be with you I have to tone down my own selfish nature. So just ignore me being a socially awkward douchebag and let's go." He backed up and grabbed his wallet, his car keys, and his keys to the dorm as I tried to process what he had said. He went to open the dorm door when I stopped him by hugging him from behind, wrapping my arms around his waist. I heard him sigh softly. "Jean..." I mumbled into his shoulder(he was pretty slim...), "I'm sorry... I just-" "I know." He interuppted, "And your right. I have to be less of an idiot who thinks he's only gonna do nice things for worthless shit later on." I let in a deep breath, then gently exhaled it... "Jean... Thomas is not a happy person... That's why he's doing this... I did it, too. For a reason. Not just because we wanted to be idiots... We all know it's not good for your body to drink constantly. Under the right circumstances, if something bad happens... I understand wanting to get drunk that same day... I mean, I'm not condoning it. And you have to deal with the pain eventually and better sooner than later but... I understand it... I did that during the summer when my dad got laid off by one of his jobs... I was so worried about them. But it's dangerous to do it nonstop..." He nodded a bit then said softly, "I'm such a frickin idiot... So rude and selfish and stupid and just... Worthless." "No you arent." I responded, "Jean... Maybe you are slightly selfish and a little brash but... You arent worthless and dont you dare think that you are, either. You're worth a lot to a lot of people, whether you think so or not..." "Marco..." I turned my boyfriend around to face me then I hugged him close. He hugged me back, "You're so fucking nice..." He said. I kissed his shoulder. Jean nudged me softly and I lifted my head, looking at him. He leaned forwards, pressing his lips against mine. I kissed him back, pulling him closer to me and closing my eyes. I felt him tangle a hand into my hair. I was surprised when the kiss started getting more heated, tongues intertwining, and he didnt pull away. I slid my hands into the back pockets of his jeans. I pulled away after a good amount of time and watched him open his eyes, taking in the wya he licked his lips. I smiled at the flush on his face. "C'mon." I said, letting him go and walking past him to open the dorm door. "Wait!" Jean said. I turned my head to look at him. "One more kiss?" He said. I grinned and rolled my eyes, "Needy." I then opened the door and headed out into the hall. I heard Jean groan and close and lock the door behind him. Then he jogged to catch up with me, "Marco please!" He exclaimed. I laughed and took his hand. "Why?" I asked. "Because you're a damn good kisser. Come on." Inlaughed harder and felt my face get hot. "Jean you're sweet but maybe later." "But Marrccoo..." He groaned. I grinned. "You finally get the balls to kiss me like that then you expect it nonstop." He spluttered at that. "Hey! It took me a while!" I kissed his cheek, "I know. Congrats." I said, letting his hand go and heading down the stairs with him trailing behind me.

The plane ride was shorter this time and I went to sleep, as per usual. When we got off of the plane and I turned my phone on, my text tone went off, like, 30 times and I looked at the texts, worried. But they were just texts from Mina that said, "Hitch and I are waiting hurry up!" "Tell us when you're here!" "Hurry!" I sighed with relief as I finished them, "Just Mina and Hitch freaking out and asking where I am." I tapped away at my phone, responding with, "We're here, Mina. Calm down." Then we headed down the escalator. I immediately saw Hitch and I jogged over to her and Mina. Jean trailed behind me. Mina stood as I approached, "Oh there you are!" She said as she hugged me. I laughed softly and said, "Yeah. I was on a plane, Mina." "Sorry." She said, "I was just worried." I nodded and pulled away from her then went and hugged Hitch. Mina went over to Jean. "Hi, Marco." Hitch said. I smiled softly, "Hey." Then Hitch went over and hugged Jean, "I'm glad you're here, Jean!" She exclaimed. He hugged her back, "Ah. Yeah. Thanks?" She grinned and pulled away, patting him on the head. I watched him roll his eyes. "Okay! Let's go!" Mina said heading for the door. We all followed her to Thomas' van. "He's not here, is he?" I asked. Mina giggled, "No! That'd be bad." She then got into the driver's seat and Hith got into the passenger's seat. Jean and I got in the back. All of us closed our doors behind us and Mina started driving to Mattheius. I noticed Jean's leg started shaking and he twisted my nose ring. Something he only did when he was nervous... I took his hand. He looked at me and I smiled softly, "It'll be alright..." I said. Then I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Yeah yeah." He said, dropping his hand from his nose ring. We eventually pulled up at the huge main buildig. Mina parked and the four of us got out. "He hasnt been going to class since Monday." Mina said as we walked through the front door of the big building. Jean kept close to me and he held my hand. "Okay..." I said, knitting my eyebrows together. Worrying... "Marco!" A voice exclaimed from down a hall behind us. We stopped ad turned as a guy with short spiky greyish hair and brown eyes, with a very thin face jogged over, Daz, followed by a guy with short black hair and an undercut with beady grey eyes, Tom. They were both smiling widely and I smiled back, "Hey, Daz. Tom." "Hey!" Tom exclaimed, "What're you doing here?" I chuckled softly, "I'm here to help Thomas out." "Oh yeah." Daz said, "Poor guy hasnt been in class all week." Then they turned their attention to Jean. "Who's this?" Tom asked. "Ah. This is my boyfriend, Jean. He goes to Coirtney in Pennysylvania with me." I said. Jean grinned a bit and rubbed the back of his head. "You go there, too? Holy shit." Tom said. "Yeah!" Daz exclaimed excitedly, "You guys got third, right? In that competition Marco was in for Coirtney." "Yeah." Jean said half grinning, "Pretty cool if you ask me." "It is!" Daz exclaimed, "I'm actually thinking about changing schools after that." "Oh my God. Really?" I asked. "Yeah. A lot of us are." Tom said. Inlaughed softly, "Everyone just piles in." "It could happpenn!" Tom exclaimed. "That would be so good for Coirtney's reputation." Jean said and I nodded in agreement. "Right?" Tom said. "Well we'll let you get back to it!" Daz interuppted, "Thomas needs some guidance. Good luck, guys." I smiled, "Nice talking to you guys again." Then the four of us kept walking. We went outside and towards the dorm building that was next to the courtyard. The courtyard had grass and trees. Plus a fountain in the center and benches scattered around the lot. Gravel paths leading around to each building from the center. The four of us head to the building and Mina opened the door for us, coming in behind us and letting the door swing closed behind her. We were standing in a hallway and there were doors to room on the hallway opposite. We headed down the hall towards the stairs to the next floor. The inside of the building had wooden walls with light wooden doors and a red carpet. The Junior dorm building looked very different, I noticed. We went to the third floor of the building and we stopped at a door that said 307 C. I sighed a bit, letting go of Jean's hand. "I'm gonna go in and talk to him." Mina nodded. I put my bag down next to the window on the opposite wall then knocked on the door. It opened after a long while, and Thomas looked awful. He was wearing just boxers and he was pale and had dark circles under his drooping eyes. He was frowning and squinting through the light and his hair was totally messed up. "Oh shit..." He mumbled, covering one of his eyes and trying to focus, "What are you doing here...?" I pushed him into the room and went in, closing the door behind me. "What're you here for, Marco...?" Thomas mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "I'm here to help you..." I said gently. "I dont need help." He said. Denial. "Thomas... You do. What did you get from that girl?" Thomas cleared his throat and pointed to his bed. I noticed a ton of bottles of every kind of alcohol ever and bottles of pills sitting next to his bed. "Thomas... You shouldnt have gotton it." "Marco. You dont even know what happened..." "Yes I do. And I understand why you're doing what you are, okay?" He just sighed. "No you dont, Marco." "Thomas. A family member of mine died, too, remember?" "Not recently! You were never stopped from drinking by anyone because we all knew that you needed to greive with it!" "Thomas. Drinking is not safe. No matter what I did, it's still not safe. Especially not drinking and taking pills together. I want you to give me that stuff." "No!" I sighed softly, "Thomas you will never get anything done if you continue this." "Fuck off, Marco! I never asked you to come!" I sighed softly. He was getting angry. "Please relax, Thomas..." I held my hands up. "Go away!" He exclaimed. I sighed softly... Maybe it was time to be a bit more demanding. "Thomas. Give me that stuff now." I said, holding my shoulders back and narrowing my eyebrows. "NO! Stop telling me what to do, Marco!" He yelled. "Shh. You will not get anything done. Give me it now, Thomas." "Fuck off!" He exclaimed, stepping away from me. He was now very pissed. I didnt know what else to do. He was getting defensive... I stepped towards his stash. "Thomas Wagner if you dont-" He suddenly pushed me really hard into the wall, knocking over a lamp. Then he punched me in the jaw. Which really hurt. "Enough! Stop it, Thomas!" I yelled, pushing him away then gripping onto him really hard. "Hitch get in here!" I exclaimed. Still holding onto a very angry and protesting Thomas, I went to the door, swinging it open. Hitch barged in, closing it behind her. "Grab that stuff!" I said, nodding towards Thomas' stash. "And get rid of it." "NO!" Thomas sobbed. "This is for your own good, Thomas!" Hitch exclaimed as she managed to gather everything in her arms. Then she kicked open the door and it shut behind her. It was getting difficult to hold onto Thomas for such a long time. He eventually just went limp. I knew he was upset. And I felt bad but I couldnt do anything about it. He was reduced to tears. He was sobbing. I sighed softly. "Thomas... Please listen to me, okay?" I said, hugging him close to me. And, to my surprise, he hugged me back. I guess he knew I was trying to help. "I want you to get some sleep... And when you wake up tomorrow, text me first thing. We're going to go do some stuff, okay?" It was silent. Then he nodded. I breathed a sigh of releif. I was about to say I was sorry but... It was for his own good. "Okay..." I said breathlessly. He was still crying. "Thomas. Go to sleep..." I let him go. And he immediately did what I said, going to his bed. I tried to catch my breath as I set up the lamp that had been knocked over and when I turned back around, Thomas was in bed. He'd given up... I went over to him and sighed softly rubbing his shoulder before heading out of the room. I let out a sigh and closed the door. Jean immediately came over to me. "Are you okay?" He asked, grabbed my chin and examining my face. I let out a deep breath, "Yeah. Everything's okay... We just gotta stay for the next few days. I told him to text me when he wakes up tomorrow morning. We're gonna go out and do some stuff. Okay?" The three of them agreed. "But you didnt answer my question." Jean said raising an eyebrow. I smiled softly at him, "I'm okay, Jean..." "You've got a bruise here." He said, running his thumb over my jaw. Oh... I let out a shaky breath, "I'm fine, Jean." He sighed, pulling away after a few moments and going and grabbing my bag then handing it to me. I took it and said to Mina and Hitch, "Please watch him. And call me if something happens." Mina nodded and handed me the keys to Thomas' car. "You dont need these? I was just going to walk." I said. "Marco, take them. We arent going anywhere." Mina said. I smiled softly, "Thanks..." I hugged both Mina and Hitch then Jean and I headed to the front of the University.


	27. Ten Steps at a Time CH 16 (Jean)

It was already starting to get dark. Texas was fucking weird. I heard Marco sigh softly as we walked through the main building to the parking lot. "Let me drive, Marco." I said. I figured he could use a break. He nodded and handed me the keys. The two of us headed to the van. Marco got in the passenger's seat and I got in the driver's seat. "It sounded crazy from outside of the room." I said as we backed out of the parking spot. Marco smirked, "Well. It was crazy. So yeah. I can imagine." He pulled down the sun sheild and opened the mirror that was attatched to the inside. "Wow..." He sighed at his appearance. He was pretty disheveled... It was actually really attractive. "I know." I said, glancing at him, "It's kind of hot." Marco spluttered at that, "Jean!" I grinned. "My God... What the Hell is hot about me looking completely messed up?" He asked, fixing his hair. I laughed, "That's why it's hot." Marco sighed, "Really... I'm done with you." I laughed again, "Oh really? You can just leave, then." He grinned, "Nah. I dont want to die by jumping out of a van." I smirked and focused on the road as Marco fixed himself up. Soon enough, he was directing me towards the closest hotel to the university. We checked in and when we got into our room, Marco immediately said, "I'm going to take a shower." "Okay." I responded, searching through my backpack for my wallet. Marco went into the bathroom. Then I suddenly heard him say, "Hey, Jean?" I turned to look at him. He was waiting in the doorway. He looked slightly worried. He stared at me for a few moments then sighed at least two times before finally saying, "N-Nevermind..." I raised an eyebrow and he just smiled at me before going into the bathroom. Weird. I found my wallet, putting it in my pocket. Then I flopped onto the bed, flipping through social media on my phone. Soon, I heard the bathroom door open a crack, "Jean." Marco said. "Yep?" I responded. "Can you go into my backpack and get my comb for me? It should be in the front zipper." "Yeah. Sure." I said, going over to his bag. "Actually, just hand me that whole bag." He corrected. I picked up the bag and turned to him, stopping. Marco was nakes. With just a towel around his waist. His hair was completely disheveled and I could see the water droplets still on his skin. My face got very hot and I looked away. Goddammit. "I'm aware that I am wearing the nakedness." Marco said, smiling, "Give me the bag, goober." I stepped over to him and handed him the bag. He took it, kissing me on the cheek before closing the door on me. Dammit! I hated him. I went back over and flopped down onto the bed. Marco came out of the bathroom, dressed in sweats and a t-shirt. "You're always on your phone." Was the first thing he said. I looked at him and smirked, "I am not, weirdo." "Yes you are. Everytime I come into a room where you are by yourself, you're on that thing." "Really?" I asked, "Huh..." He smirked, stepping over to me and taking my phone and earbuds from me. "Hey!" I exclaimed as Marco tossed them onto the bed behind me and smiled. He then wrapped my arms around me, pulling me close. I wrapped my arms around his neck and tangled my fingers into his hair, resting my elbows on his shoulders. "I love you." He said. I sighed, "Love you too, I guess." Marco laughed softly, "What?" "You heard me!" I exclaimed. Suddenly, Marco leaned in and blew into my neck, making a farting sound. I jumped, flailing. Then pushed him away. "What the Hell, man?" I exclaimed, putting a hand over my neck. What the fuck? Marco just laughed, "It was just a raspberry!" I made a strangled noise. "No! I do not enjoy that!" "Okay. I'm sorry." He said, still grinning, "C'mere." Then he had to nerve to hold his arms out to me. "No! Get away!" I exclaimed, scooting back farther onto the bed and grabbing my phone. Marco smirked and changed the subject. "Let's go out for dinner, Jean. I'm hungry." He said. "You arent dressed properly." I mocked the way Marco always cares about if everyone's dressed properly. He smirked, smacking my leg. I laughed. "I'll put on some jeans." Marco said. "No. You dont have to." I replied, "I, literally, do not care." Marco sighed. "Okay. I think I'd look better but okay." "You always look great, Marco." He turned red. "You're sweet." He said. I smirked, getting off of the bed and pulling my boots on. "You need to wear those Uggs I bought you." Marco said. "Naggy!" I exclaimed. He laughed. "Naggy Mc Naggerson." I said as Marco put his own shoes on. "Your face!" He exclaimed. "Wow. Great comeback." I said sarcastically. "Thanks." He replied, smiling at me. I rolled my eyes.

We ate dinner together and I paid close attention this time to my calorie count. I mean, I had been watching it. But I hadnt really cared all that much before. But my doctor and therapist were beginning to get suspicious. We went to bed soon after dinner. I didnt know what time it was. But ir was fucking early as Hell when I felt Marco shaking me to wake up. "Go 'way, Marco..." I mumbled into the sheets, groaning. He just chuckled softly and patted my back, "Get up. Thomas texted me. He's awake." Damn... I groaned again and got up then shuffled into the bathroom, taking my backpack with me. I used the restroom, brushed my teeth, and ran water over the shaved sides of my hair because it was sticking up very nicely. Then I changed intp skinny jeans and a white t-shirt and put my night clothes back into my bag along with my boxers... You cant really wear skinny jeans effectively with boxers. So I just dont wear anything under them. It wasnt odd for me. I came out of the bathroom and noticed Marco's Hawkeye t-shirt. Hawkeye. Why Hawkeye. As I picked up my Pink Floyd hoodie, I heard Marco sigh next to me. I looked at him and he was grimacing as he put on his bright green hoodie, "You okay?" I asked, "I just hate this thing." He responded. Good. I hage it, too. I legit thought that the reason wh Marco had that Nickelodeon slime green hoodie was because he liked the color. It looked awful on him. I was glad that he hated it. "Oh... Do you want to wear mine?" I asked, holding my black Pink Floyd jacket out to him. To be honest, that hoodie probably would have looked better on me. Most colors looked okay on me. "And I'll wear that one?" "Sure." Marco responded, raising an eyebrow and taking off his jacket, "Why, though? That's so... Giving of you." I smirked, "I guess you're affecting me? I dont know." I handed him my hoodie and he handed me his. I put the green hoodie on and zipped up the bottom a bit. "It looks better on you." Marco said, pulling on the Pink Floyd hoodie. I shrugged. "Everything looks good on you, though." Marco added. I smirked, "Shut the fuck up. I'm a fucking ugly ass motherfucker." "You are not." He disagreed, pulling me close to his chest, "You're very handsome." He said. Yeah right. I smirked, "Shut the fuck up. You look great, Marco. All the time." I said. The jacket really did look good on him. Marco smiled softly, "I'm just one giant commercial. All these logos on me." "Hawkeye isnt exactly an advertisement." I said, grinning, "Unless you're advertising uselessness." Marco's jaw literally dropped. "No. You did not just say that." He said in disbelief. I laughed. "I'm not talking to you for the rest of the day, Jean." He said, letting me go and going to grab his phone and wallet. "Oh come on! I was joking!" I exclaimed, still laughing. "You dont joke about Hawkeye!" He exclaimed, turning to me, "You're dead to me." I snorted randomly. I covered my mouth. Snorting was not my thing. Marco laughed at that. "And you make fun of me for snorting! Look who's doing it now! Weirdo!" He exclaimed. "You need to stop influencing my life!" I exclaimed, grinning, "I have Uggs, Marco! And I was excited to get them!" Marco kept laughing, "I know, Jean!" "I'm just glad you arent obsessed with fucking Loki or Thor. I'm done hearing about those guys." I continued. Marco shrugged, smiling, "They're attractive. They arent my favorite but they're pretty great." "We need to stop talking about fake people and go help a real person." I said, grabbing my own phone and wallet. "Yes!" He exclaimed, "Let's go do that." We got to Mattheius soon after.

The two of us walked to the dorm building and went up to Thomas' room. Marco knocked and Hitch opened the door, smiling at us. "Hey. Is he alright?" Marco asked. "He's dressed and everything, if that's what you're asking. All three of us are ready to go." She replied. Marco nodded, "Right." We went into the room and Thomas was sitting on his bed, looking exhausted and like shit. But better than the day before. "Hey, Thomas..." Marco said. He just glanced at him. He must have been annoyed with Marco. "Can we talk, man?" He asked Marco, "Like in private?" He nodded, "Y-Yeah. Of course. You three wait here." He said to Hitch, Mina, and I. Then the two of them headed out. Mina grabbed something off of Thomas' side table then the three of us went into the hall. Hitch closed and locked the dorm room, then put the key in her pocket. "So, Jean!" Mina started. I looked at her, "Have you ever considered modeling?" I had a lot of trouble understanding. I was quiet. Then said, "W-What? As in... Like... Model modeling? Like... For clothes and stuff?" "Yeah!" She replied. I shook my head, an eyebrow raised. "Really? Because I think you'd be good at it! You have the face for it! Some of the photography students here would die to be able to shoot some pictures of you!" "Fuck that shit." I said. Mina pouted, "Why?" "Because that's weird. I'm not fit for that shit." "What?" Hitch chimed in, "You could totally do that. Especially if you but a bit more meat on your bones." I looked at her and she was smiling but her eyebrows were knitted together. Right. She knew. "Hey!" Mina exclaimed to someone behind me, "Here you go, Thomas." She then handed Thomas his phone and wallet. He and Marco had come back. "Ah thanks, brah." He said, smiling. The five of us headed to the front building. "How have you been, Jean, my man?" Thomas asked me, clapping me on the back. "Fine." I replied, "I'm good." Thomas held his fist out to me. Oh. I bumped fists with him. "Jean made fun of Hawkeye this morning." Marco suddenly said as we all got into the car, Marco driving and Thomas in the passenger's seat. The rest of us in the back. "What?" Thomas exclaimed, looking back at me, "Are you crazy, dude? How much did the punch hurt?" Marco? Punching someone over a superhero? I laughed, "I didnt get punched." "Aw man." Thomas said, looking at Marco, "What the Hell? You punched me when I made fun of him, dude!" Apparently, Marco was very capable of punching over Hawkeye. Marco laughed and shrugged, "When was that? Highschool?" "That was last summer, dude!" Thomas exclaimed. What? Marco wasnt all that violent... Well. He didnt want to be, anyways. When we had ice skated, he did beat those guys up pretty bad. Marco laughed harder, "Oh right!" "Jeez, Marco! Forgetting that you're still a violent motherfucker!" "I am not violent! I try not to be, anyways." "I dunno. You fucked those guys up pretty bad after we went ice skating." I chimed in. "Yeah but I did that to protect you. There was no way those guys were going to back down." "You beat somebody up, man?" Thomas exclaimed, "The Hell?" "It was three guys." I said. "What?" Thomas exclaimed. "Yeah. I did." Marco said, "And I felt really bad afterwards. And so did my ankle." "Dont feel bad, bro! What did they do?" "Jean provoked them because they littered." Marco said. Oh god. I laughed. It sounded so stupid. "Jean! What?" Hitch said, "That doesnt mean you should go provoke them! It's not that big a deal!" I just kept laughing and I said, "It sounds so dumb when you explain it..." "Oh, trust me, Jean, it was dumb while it was happening, too." Marco said. "What was dumber was what you said to try to cushion the blow for me after I threw that cup at his head." I mentioned. "What was that?" He asked. "You were like, 'I'm sorry about him. He's just really passionate about keeping the environment healthy.'" Marco laughed and said, "Well! That's... Pretty stupid..." "I know!" I exclaimed. "Oh my God, Marco! Really, man?" Thomas asked, "You just... Are ridiculous, bro." We eventually reached a restaraunt. We sat down at a booth. Me, Marco, Thomas, Mina, then Hitch. "How much sleep have you been getting?" Marco asked Thomas. He sighed, "Not much, man. Last night's sleep was the most amount of sleep I've had all week." "Really, Thomas?" Marco asked. He nodded, "Yeah... I'm sorry." "Dont apologize to me, Thomas. Apologize to yourself. Just sleep more." Marco said, smiling softly, "That's how you can make it up to yourself." "You're such a hippie, dude." Thomas said. "Hey! What? I am not." Marco said. "'Apologize to yourself, maaan...'" Thomas mocked. "I didnt even say it like that!" He exclaimed, "If that's how hippies speak, then you're a hippie." "I dont even talk like that, dude." "Yes you do." Mina said. "I do?" Thomas asked. The four of us nodded. "Goddammit." Thomas said. "At least you arent loud as shit anytime you say anything." I said. "Like Reiner?" Marco asked, "He scares me sometimes." "Who? What?" Thomas asked. "The huge, blonde guy who took you to the commons building when you came to Coirtney to visit Marco." I said. "Oh yeahhh." Mina said, "He's loud." Hitch looked confused. "Our friend, Reiner, only yells. He cant speak normally. Or whisper. He just yells." Marco said. "Yep. It's really bad if any of us ever plan a birthday party. He has given us away many times." I said. "Example?" Mina asked. "Well. Our good friend Armin's birthday is in November. And we were going to throw a surprise party for him." Marco started. "And we usually would be able to silence Reiner before he gave it away but Armin is too smart. He caught on." I finished. "And it wasnt a surprise party anymore." He said. "You guys need to stop finishing stories for eachother right now." Hitch said. Marco laughed softly, "But we both know what happened!" I grinned a bit.

The next few days were really fun. Marco really got everything together. He really cared about his friends... But I was glad to leave on Wednesday. When we got back to Coirtney, I collapsed. It had been fun but exhausting. I enjoyed seeingg Texas. Though it was an odd state. Our scheduals began to go back to normal as the rest of the week progressed. "Wait. What are you getting him?" Marco was asking me on the Friday of the same week we'd gotton back. Connie and Sasha, Ymir and Christa plus Marco and I were sitting in the hallway, "I think I'm gonna get him a fucking tomahawk then hit him with it." Connie laughed at that, "What the-?" Marco laughed, too and said, "Jean. Be serious." "I am being serious. I do not care about this secret santa bull, man. I'm annoyed with my life already. Cant I just not this time?" I said. Marco sighed. "Jean. I'll help you, okay? What does Eren like?" "I dont fucking know. Mikasa? Being pissed off all the fucking time?" He groaned, "Give me something to work with." "He likes Nintendo a lot." Connie said, "And superheroes." "Really?" Marco asked, "Marvel or DC, though? That is the real question." Here we go. Connie shrugged. "Hmmm..." Marco said. "Eren fucking Jeager has more in common withh my boyfriend than I do." I pointed out. "If he picks DC, he wont have anyhing in common with me." Marco said. I raised an eyebrow at my boyfriend, "Nintendo is still something." "No. Everything we could potentially have in common is cancelled out if he picks DC over Marvel! I mean, I love them both but... Marvel!" "Calm down! Oh my God!" Ymir exclaimed, laughing. I didnt think Ymir would laugh at something Marco would say. The rest of them laughed, too. But I was just dumbfounded. Marco was a legit nerd. I stared at him then shook my head in disbelief, "You're crazy." I said, "I'm crazy for dating you. What am I doing with my life?" Marco laughed, "Hey! Offensive." "Are you obsessed with Marvel, Marco?" Connie asked. "I-" "Yes." I chimed in, "More specifically: Hawkeye." "Yes. Okay. Can I rant?" Marco said. "Yes. You can." Sasha encouraged. "So I am so done with everyone saying how useless Hawkeye is. He's amazing, okay? He's the best Avenger and no one can ever convince me otherwise." "He got mind controlled by Loki-" Ymir said, "Loki could have done that to any of the Avengers. Hawkeye just happened to be there." "-He's obsessed with Black Widow-" "She's a very pretty lady." "-AND all he did the whole battle was shoot arrows. Meanwhile, Iron Man almost died." "He did his job. And he shot perfectly on target. Eyes like a hawk!" Ymir snorted at that. I laughed, "I swear, Marco... I didnt know you were such a fucking nerd before not too long ago." "Are you regretting dating me?" He asked. I shrugged, "Naw. It's fine." "'I'll just deal with it.'" Connie mocked. Marco laughed. "That's not what I meant!" I exclaimed, "I'm so fucking done with you shits." "Calm down, man!" Connie said, patting my shoulder. I shrugged him off and worked on my peice. To be honest, the superhero thing was cute as Hell. I thought the Marvel and DC scene was interesting and I knew some information about them. I was a fan but I didnt know extreme amounts about the universes. Marco leaned over and kissed me on the cheek randomly which caused my face to get hot. I backhanded him in the face because he was an idiot. "Ow!" He exclaimed, laughing. Suddenly, Reiner ran out of the room yelling, "Come on, Eren!" Then he cupped his hands together. "What the freaaak?" Connie asked. Eren then ran out and Reiner boosted him up to the ceiling. Eren pushed up the panel on the ceiling. "What the fuck are you doing?!" I exclaimed. I was fucking confused as Hell. "Whoooo! Go Eren!" Sasha yelled really loudly as Eren pulled himself into the ceiling. Reiner let go of his foot when he was up there. Eren then put the panel back behind him. "The FUCK?" I exclaimed again. "Did he do it?" Armin said, walking out of the room. "Yep! He's up there!" Reiner yelled. "Pixis, you owe Eren seven bucks!" Armin said as he walked back into the room. "Can I get out now?" I heard Eren yell. I suddenly had the best idea ever. "No!" I exclaimed, standing up. "Reiner! Boost me!" "Jean no!" Marco exclaimed, grabbing my arm. Reiner burst out in loud laughter, cupping his hands. "Reiner dont encourage him!" Marco said. I struggled around until I got out of Marco's grip. Then I put a foot in Reiner's hands and he lifted me up. I started punching at the ceiling above me. "Jean!" I heard Marco exclaimed. "Quit it, horseface!" Eren exclaimed anove me. Suddenly, my ankle was grabbed and yanked. I fell, letting out a yelp. Then I felt Marco's arms around me. "Jean. Stop it." He said. "Jesus Christ, Marco! You fucking scared me!" I yelled. "It's already dangerous enough. He doesnt need you punching him while he's in the ceiling." He said as Eren made his way back down to the floor. "What the Hell, Jean?!" Eren yelled. "What the Hell back, Jeagar!" I yelled back. "Need to hide behind your boyfriend?" Eren exclaimed. I struggled in Marco's grip, "NO WAY!" I screamed. "Stop!" Marco exclaimed, holding me painfully tighter, "Just calm down. Please. You dont have to get upset." I stopped because it hurt. But while I was just sitting there. I studied Eren's face and realized, suddenly, that Eren had been here the whole time. When I'd met Connie, I'd also met him. When I was in trouble, he came to my aid as much as any of my other friends had. I took a deep breath and Marco let me go. I patted Eren on the shoulder then went back to work on my peice. Messing with him wasnt a good idea when he'd been a good and supportive friend. "The Hell...? How...? What...?" Eren said, dumbfounded. "Please dont explode." Marco replied, holding his hands up. Eren just rubbed his forhead before walking back into the room. Reiner had wide eyes. "How did you do that, Marco?" He exclaimed. Marco laughed softly, shrugging and heading back over to his seat next to me. "Marco! You're magic!" Sasha exclaimed. "No I'm not. He just needs assurance that it's okay if he just would calm down." "I'm right here." I said. "I know, honey." He said, kissing my cheek. I smirked at him.

We celebrated Mikasa's birthday on the tenth of February. And it was the next day when my mother called me saying she was coming to town. Which I wasnt really okay with. It was so short notice. I had things to do. I was working on a peice when I decided to let Marco know. "Marcooooo!" I yelled from my studio into his. It was quiet for a second then he yelled, "Poloooo!" back at me. "Haha! Get in here!" I exclaimed. "I cant. I'm on the phone! You'll have to wait!" He said. I groaned and waited, working on inking in my new painting. Until I heard the door between our studios open. Marco came in and said, "Hey. What do you need?" I turned from my desk to look at him, "Yeah. Um..." I tapped my knee with my pen. "My mom's coming in for a visit... On Sunday." I said. Marco's eyes widened sligtly and he slapped his forehead, "What?" "I know. I love her but... It's so last minute. I have so much shit to do." "So do I, Jean... Does she know that we're... You know?" He asked. I shook my head. "She'll probably be okay with it but it's still really terrifying." Marco nodded, "I understand your fear." "What were you doing?" I asked him, "I was on the phone with Thomas. He was freaking out about a competition tomorrow. But he's alright." He smiled. I smiled back, "That's good." "Should we clean up the dorm later on? So your mom wont be terrified and think I'm a slob?" He asked. The room wasnt even dirty. I smirked, "The dorm is clean." "It is not." "Marco. It's pretty damn clean." He sighed, "It's not. Really. What kind of pigstie did you live in at home?" I grinned, "A pretty awesome one. Free food all the time. All I had to do was lift a shirt and hey! A hotdog!" Then I made a serious face to show him I was kidding. He laughed, "Eww! Jean!" "Seriously, Marco. Do you think I lived in a tornado zone? There are, at least, four maids living at my parents house. They do actually clean things." I said. Marco rolled his eyes, "Okay. Okay. I get it. You spoiled brat." I raised an eyebrow and half smiled at him, "Oh really?" I asked. He crossed his arms, "Yep." He responded. I stood up and went over to him. We had a stare off. Then he suddenly grabbed me around my waist and lifted me up yelling, "I win! You're spoiled!" I yelped out his name in shock. He laughed. I put my hands on his shoulders to support myself. "You always fucking scare me when you do this random shit!" I exclaimed, looking down at him. His mouth slowly stretched into a wide smile and he leaned up, nuzzling his nose against mine. I sighed, annoyed. He suddenly put me down down, pecking me on the lips. I had a realization that Marco was a sweet kisser... I looked down and felt my face get hot. He pulled me closer to him. "Hey." He said. I locked eyes with him, "You're really cute." I spluttered, "S-Shut the fuck up, Marco!" I yelled, "You're cute!" "No. I'm pretty sure you're cute." "You're fucking cute! You're the one with freckles and giant eyes!" I exclaimed. Marco laughed softly, nuzzling his face into my neck, "Okay. Whatever you want, Jean. Your ears are just pink and it's cute. That's all." "Stop looking at my friggin ears!" I exclaimed. He laughed a bit more and suddenly squeezed my sides. I jolted, "Dont do that! It tickles." "Oh. Well then..." He said. "Dont get any fucking ideas!" I exclaimed, pulling away from him and going back over to my desk. "Noo. Come back..." He said. I smirked and just sat back down, "Shut up." "Do you want to grab some people and go to lunch?" He asked. Right. Food was probably something I had to do sooner rather than later. "Yeah. Sure." I sighed. Marco knitted his eyebrows together, noticing my change in demeanor, "What's wrong?" I waved a hand, "Nothing. Yeah. Let's go do that." I said, standing. As we walked down the hall, I suddenly felt a pang of guilt for keeping my weight a secret from my boyfriend. But then I looked at him. He was fucking exhausted and stressed out from all the other shit in his life. And I needed to be strong for him. So I would wait.

On Friday, the day before Valentine's day, we traded gifts. I got Eren a Wii U. "Dude. I thought it was gonna be a fucking pie catapulted into my eyes." Eren said. "Just your eyes?" I asked, laughing and grinning. "Why did you get me this?" "Because you're my friend as much as I hate to admit it." I said, raising an eyebrow, "Friend's since before college, Eren. You've helped me through a lot." Eren nodded, "Yeah, man." He said, smiling. I held out a hand to him and he shook it. I smiled and he smiled back. Thank God... We were alright now. I headed back over to my seat and Reiner walked over to me, setting a package down on my desk. I grinned, "Thanks, man!" He grinned back, "You're welcome!" He clapped me on the back, which almost broke my back, before heading away to his own seat. Marco came back over and sat down. Then Mikasa walked over and placed a box on his side of the desk that was wrapped in paper. Mikasa got Marco. Good. She was a great gift giver and Marco deserved it. I tore open the paper on my own present and there was a box inaide. I opened it and was immediately hit with the smell of rubber. Inside, was a weird sack thing that looked... Odd. "The fuck?" I asked. I was confused, "What is this? Did you get me some kind of ass sack?!" "It's an assHAT!" Reiner yelled, "It has it on the front." What? I looked at the front and aure enough, in big bold letters it said, "ASSHAT." I immediately burst into laughter, "Oh my fucking GOD! Thank you! What the fuck?!" Reiner gave me a thumbs up and boomed with laughter. I turned my attention to Marco who was opening a shoe box. The shoes were Iron Man themed and they were pretty fucking awesome.

Marco jumped out of his seat. "Oh my God! Mikasa thank you! Where did you get these?" "I bought them on Ebay." She responded. "Thank yoouu! Thank you so much!" Marco exclaimed. She smiled from her table and he smiled back, putting the shoes back into the box and closing it up then placing them on the floor.

Marco and I just sat around on Valentine's Day, watching movies. But everyone kept asking us the next day if we'd fucked. Which was annoying. On Sunday, the both of us were frantically trying to set everything up perfectly. I was organizing my studio to the best of my ability. It would still be messy no matter what but, y'know. Connie and Eren were attempting to help me. "Jean." Connie said. "Shut up." I responded. "Hey." Eren chimed in, "You dont even know what he was going to say. What if it was important?" I sighed, rolling my eyes, "What, Connie?" It was quiet. The Connie said, "You and Marco do the do yet?" "Connie!" I exclaimed. The two idiots started cracking up. "I already told you guys we didnt do anything!" "Oh come on!" Connie exclaimed, "It was Valentine's Day! You had to have done something!" I groaned, "Fine! We did do something!" "Wait seriously?" Eren asked. "Yeah. We watched fucking Groundhog Day and Transformers. Happy?" "Aw man. What the figgy pudding?" Connie said, "You didnt get any ass?" "NO!" I yelled. Eren and Connie both put up their hands in defense. "Goddamn." Eren said. I frowned at them then turned back around to continue sorting work. It was quiet. "Are you going to fuck him, though?" Eren asked. "Oh my God..." I said between clenched teeth. I turned, "Mind your own business, guys. It gets old. Unless I tell you, dont ask." "Why would we ask if you're going to tell us anyways?" Connie asked. I couldnt believe this. I laughed angrily, "I am going to beat the shit out of you..." I said, clenching my fists. "Okay okay. Sorry, dude." Connie said, raising his hands in defense. "I just have one more question." He said. I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow. "Why dont you want to talk about it? It's not weird. It's just a thing. And it's pretty cool if you finally lose your virginity, dude." I sighed, running a hand through my hair, thinking... I didnt really mind talking about it. It was mostly about Marco. I didnt know if he minded... But I guess he didnt care. He was probably asked about it, too, "You're right, I guess." I said, "I just dont want Marco to get embarassed if I say anything." Eren and Connie both scoffed. "Dude." Eren said, "Marco is not a fuckin' virgin, man. We can tell just by looking at him." "Hah?" I asked. Connie laughed, "You cant tell? Well I guess not." I shrugged, eyebrows raised, "How the fuck do you even tell." I asked. "Just the way he is, man. Besides, didnt he do pot and shit in highschool? If he was like that, he was probably like that, too." Eren said. Goddammit he was right... "Can you find out for me?" I asked. "Sure." Eren shrugged. I nodded. I then got a text. I pulled out my phone. Marco. He'd texted me, "Your mom is here in the dorm. Get here quick. I'm scared." "Gah!" I exclaimed, "My mom is in my dorm room! Gotta run. Get out of here soon, guys!" I exclaimed, jogging out. "Good luck!" I heard Connie yell. I ran across the courtyard to the dorm building. I went up the stairs and swung the door to my dorm open. Marco looked over and my eyes locked on my mother. She was a short woman with a round face, dirty blonde hair, and light brown eyes. "Jean!" She exclaimed, standing and coming over to me, hugging me tightly. I hugged her back and looked at Marco over her shoulder, mouthing, "Did you tell her?" Marco shook his head. Goddammit. I rolled my eyes. "Hey, mom." I said, sighing softly and trying to gather some courage. When she pulled away, I grabbed Marco's wrist and pulled him over, "This is my boyfriend, Marco. Marco, this is my mother, Genevieve." I said, trying to sound as serious as possible. She looked surpised but not entirely, "This is your boyfriend?" She asked. I nodded once, "Yep." She stared for a few more moments before she grabbed me suddenly and pulled me close, hugging me tightly. "Jean! Oh my goodness! You found someone who wants to date you!" "Hey!" I exclaimed, "I've dated people before!" "Only three times, Jean! And that was in highschool! Not to mention only during your freshman and sophmore years!" I let out an embarassed groan. My mom pulled away from me then exclaimed to Marco, "I'm so sorry for treating you so formally!" He laughed, "No problem, ma'am." "Wait. You two are living in the same dorm?" She asked. "Yeah." I responded. "Jean!" She exclaimed, "You cant do that!" What? I snorted, "What the heck do you think we're doing in here? Naughty stuff? Come on. But if we were doing anything... Us living in the same dorm definately helps as far as convenience is concerned." She smacked my shoulder, "Jean!" I laughed and I heard Marco laugh as well. "I knew there was something about you!" She said to him, "I knew you werent just my son's friend." "Mom." I said, "I can have obviously gay friends." Marco laughed harder, "Hey! You're so mean!" "What!? Why is that mean?" I asked. He smirked, "Because. Anything you say is mean." "That's not exactly why I thought you were involved with Jean." My mom chimed in, "It was the way you hesitated before you said, 'He's an amazing person.' You obviously thought about my asking if he was lovely and decided that the word didnt cover it. Not to mention the way you flushed and smiled." What? He said that? My face got a bit hot. Marco covered his face with his hands. "Oh really?" I asked. Marco was beet red underneath his hands. He glanced at me, then suddenly exclaimed, "Maybe you should show her your studio, Jean!" And he shoved me towards the door. I smirked, raising an eyebrow. Alright. Maybe I'd spare Marco more embarassment. "Yeah. Sure. Mom, I want to show you some stuff I've been working on." I said. "Marco. Why dont you come along?" I asked my boyfriend. Figured I'd be polite or something. Marco smiled softly, his blush slowly going away, "I'd love to but I cant. I promised Christa that I'd help her with something after I was done vacuuming." I frowned but I wasnt angry, "Alright. See you later." Then my mom and I went out into the hall. Whe we were halfway down the hall, however, she suddenly said, "Dont you want to kiss your boyfriend goodbye?" And she elbowed my arm. I smirked and turned around, heading back down the hall. Just as I was about to turn into the room, Marco was walking out. We almost bumped into eachother but he backed up. "Hey." I said. He smirked, "Hi. Why are you back here?" I rolled my eyes, "My mom was like, 'Dontcha wanna kiss your boyfriend goodbye?'" Marco laughed at my mom voice, "Your mother is so..." "I know." I interuppted, "She's always like this. It's draining but I love her." Marco nodded, smiling. "So. I'm an amazing person?" I asked, grinning and raising an eyebrow. Marco smiled softly, "We'll talk about it later when we have time, okay? Go back with your mom." Then he leaned in, giving me a quick peck on the lips. Then I headed back to my mother.

My mom and I went down the stairs and past Ymir and Christa, who were sitting in the lobby. We went out into the snow. Then it began. "Where is Marco from? My goodness he is very handsome!" I laughed a bit, "He's from Montana, actually. And he transferred to Coirtney just this year. He's who I stayed with over Winter Break, mom." "Oh that's him?! You said you were going to a friend's house! Jean!" I laughed more. "Mom he was my friend at that time!" She just shook her head, smiling softly. We went into the studio building and the door to my studio was still open. We went in and my mother was immediately hug attacked by highschool friends. Instead of Connie and Eren leaving, they just brought Sasha, Armin, and Mikasa. I stepped aside, rolling my eyes. Goddammit. "Oh my goodness! It's good to see you all! You've grown so much!" My mom exclaimed. I smirked. We all stopped growing in highschool but okay, Mom. They all pulled away and Connie immediately grabbed the painting I was in the process finishing up, "Look at this! Isnt it awesome?" He exclaimed. "Connie..." I groaned. "Oooh!" She said, taking ot from him, "Jean! This is amazing... Where did you get this idea from?" It was a painting of Marco, Armin, and myself on top of Nick, looking out over the city at sunset. I smiled a bit. "Armin, Marco, and I went up there a little bit ago. It was really nice." "Oh yeah!" Armin exclaimed. I grinned a bit. "It looks good, Jean." My mom said, smiling at me. I smiled back, "Thanks..." "Alright! Nice seeing you, Mrs. Kirchstein." Eren said, "We'd better get going, though." "You, too, guys!" She said as the five of them scampered out and closed the door behind them. I sighed with releif. "Jean, your friends are still so nice. Especially Eren! Didnt you say that you two had some problems?" "Ah. Yeah." I responded, "Eren and I still have scuffles. But we've been alright recently." "That's good to hear, Jean." She said as she started looking around the studio room. "Let's go to dinner tonite, Jean. I want to hear all about these past weeks." She said. I smiled, "Yeah. I'd like that." We agreed to go to dinner at around six, six thirty. She would come back and get me.

I went back to the dorm building and saw that Marco was sitting with Christa and Ymir in the lobby. He noticed me and smiled. "Hey!" He said as I walked over. I grinned, "Hey." "Where's your mom?" He asked. "We're meeting for dinner at, like, six thirty." "Ah. Okay." He said, "What are you doing now?" I shrugged, "Just gonna go back to the dorm and recharge." "I'll come with you." He said, standing, "See you guys later." He said to Ymir and Christa. "Bye, Marco!" Christa said, smiling. I headed up the stairs, Marco following behind me. "So what'd you think of my mom?" I asked him as we went into the dorm. He smirked, "She's nice." "Good. So. Im an amazing person?" I asked him as he closed and locked the door behind us. He smiled and pulled me close to hos chest, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Yes. You are." I smirked and put my hands on his shoulders. "Aww. You love me." He said, bumping his nose against mine. "Sure." I said, kissing him breifly. He smiled wider and nuzzled his face into my neck. "Well I love you, Jean." He said. "I know..." I responded, "I love you, too..." "I cant believe you hinted at sex when you were talking to your mother." He said. Oh yeah. I laughed, "Yeah. Sorry. It must have been awkward." "A little." He responded. I sighed softly, ruffling his hair. "I really admire you for telling your mother so confidently, Jean..." He said. I snorted, "Whatever, man... I was freaked out." "I know, Jean. But you still pulled it off... And you have no idea how attractive it was, either." He said. I laughed softly, "Shut the fuck up, Marco..." He just pulled me closer to him. He was so warm... I really loved this man. He was gorgeous... His hair smelled good. And his opinion was one I trusted entirely. Which reminded me. "Do you want to do something?" I asked him. Like what?" He asked, "Because if it requires cuddling, then yes." I snorted then said, "It doesnt. But I need your opinion on something I'm doing." "Is it here? Or in your studio?" He asked. "It's in here." I responded, starting to pull away from him. "Nooo." He said, pulling me back. "Marco!" I exclaimed, "And you used to call me needy!" I pulled away from him and I heard him sigh, "I just love you so much..." He said. I rolled my eyes and went to my desk, grabbing my sketchbook. When I turned back around, Marco was flopped onto the bed, his shoes off. "What the heck, Marco? I have to show you this." "Come here so I can see it!" He exclaimed, sitting up. I took this oppourtunity to be the biggest nerd of all time. I feined hurt and put a hand to my chest, saying, "Dont sass me. I came out to have a good time and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now." I said. He looked at me in disbelief then laughed, "Stop! Just come here you massive nerd." He exclaimed. "You're the nerd." I responded as I went over to him, flipping open my sketchbook.

When my mother came to get me for dinner, I said goodbye to Marco and headed to her car that she'd rented for her stay(kind of silly if you ask me. She was staying for one day)and we headed out. We just went to a local restaraunt and she ordered for me. I knew she'd be on the lookout for my weight and what I ate. I didnt mind. "How have you been feeling, honey?" She asked me. I shrugged, "Better. I gained weight..." "That's good, Jean." I shrugged again, "How much?" I sighed, "Around eight, nine pounds." I had been around 110 when I'd started gaining weight. "Oh my goodness, Jean! That's great! How much is it now?" "Erm. 118 or 119... Marco doesnt know." I said. Her face dropped, "He doesnt know?" I shook my head. "Oh... Why?" She was dissapointed... "I-I'm sorry..." I said, "I'm afraid. I dont want him to think of me as being weak." "No. I'm not dissapointed in you, Jean. I'm just worried. You arent weak." My mother said, "Do you think you are? Jean. You are not." I sighed, "Thanks but... I am..." "Oh Jeanbo... You arent. You're very strong. Look at what you're doing now... Trust in him..." She said. I nodded... She was right... Marco loved me. He wouldnt call me weak... But Marco was going through a lot. I'd wait until his life was cleared up and I was ready. "I'll tell him..." I said. She nodded, smiling. "So Marco is from Montana?" She asked. I nodded, "Yeah. But he went to school in Texas at Matteius University for the past two years." "Oh wow! Shat a prestigious school!" She exclaimed, "He must be very confident." "He is." Jean smiled, "But humble. Extremely humble. He doesnt take compliments." "That's a good man." My mother said. I nodded, "He's perfect." She smiled softly at me, "I'm glad you've found someone who you love and are happy with, Jean." I laughed a bit, "Yeah... He's just... Amazing. I really should tell him that he is more often than I do..." "Tell him every day, Jean." I smiled, nodding.

I came home later on and Marco was asleep. I soon went to bed. But I woke up at, like, 3 am to Marco frantically getting up and going into the bathroom. I was going to dismiss it as him just needing to pee really bad but then I heard a really nice throw up sound and immediately was like, "Well shit..." I got up and went to the doorway of the bathroom. Marco was sitting in front of the toilet, back to me. "Holy shit are you okay?!" I exclaimed. He let out a shaky sigh and flushed the toilet, gulping and getting up, "Y-Yeah..." He said, attempting a smile and gulping. He didnt look good. I crossed my arms, "Get the fuck back down there, Marco. You're fucking green as the Grinch." "I'm okay, Jean." He protested. "Get. Down." I said, glaring at him. He sighed shakily again and sank to the floor. It suddenly occured to me that I didnt actually know how to help a sick person. Dammit, "Do you just want me to sit here...?" Marco suddenly said. I shook my head, "No. No. I mean. For now, yes? I dont really know, Marco. I'm new to this 'helping' thing. Erm... If you were in my situation... What would you do?" "W-Well... I'd have a choice to make at this point... Do I stay with you until you feel better then deal with it in the morning? Or do I go try and fond a thermometer to check your temperature now?" He said, gulping again. "Erm..." I started, "Where would I find a thermometer? I know we dont-" I was interupted by Marco suddenly hurling into the toilet. I grimaced, "Shit..." I whispered, lookingg away. He flushed the toilet again, letting out a few coughs. "Go on..." He urged me shakily. "I know we dont have a thermometer." I said. "Well..." Marco started, "Hanji has one in the nurse's office... And if you remember, Connie had one. He was using one when Sasha was sick last time..." "That's right." I said, "I'll be back." I headed out of the room quickly, jogging down the dark hallway as quietly as possible. I knocked on Eren and Connie's dormroom door. I headd a groan come from inside then shuffling. The door opened. It was Eren. He looked exhausted, hair disheveled, "What do you want...?" He mumbled. I smirked a bit, "Hey. Marco isnt feeling too well. I need the thermometer." "I dont know where it is." Eren said. "Well wake up Connie." I said. "You do it..." Eren said, walking back to his bed and flopping down into it. I headed into the room and over to Connie's bed, pushing him off of it. "Ow! What the-!" Connie exclaimed when he hit the floor. I laughed softly, "Get up! Marco feels bad. I need the thermometer." Connie stood up, glaring at me, then walking past me to the bathroom. He opened a drawer and pulled out the thermometer, handing it to me. "Thanks, bro! Good night." I said, grinning and walking out. The door slammed and locked behind me. I jogged back down the hall and when I got into the room and washed off the thermometer. I didnt trust a tired Connie. And as I washed it off, I saw that Marco was asleep at the toilet. I shook his shoulder after cleaning the thing, "Wake up." He woke with a start, rubbing his eyes. "Connie gave me his. I washed it just now. I dont trust that weirdo." I said. He looked at me, "O-Okay..." He said. He was going to barf again. Sure enough, he told me to wait as he hurled into the toilet and flushed it yet again. "... How the Hell are you so calm?" I asked. "Well I'd rather not be jumping off the walls at this point... Probably make me barf more..." He held his hand out to me and I put the thermometer in it. I leaned against the sink counter as Marco held the thermometer in his mouth before it beeped. He looked at it, "Yep... 101 is definately a fever..." He said. I sighed, "Damn... I'm sorry, Marco." I took the thermometer, washing it then washing my own hands and closing the thermometer before putting it on the counter beside the sink. "Do you want to go to bed? Or are you gonna hang out here?" I asked. He sighed softly. "I'm gonna hang out here for a little while longer." Welp. That's taken care of. I guess. I nodded, pushig away from the counter and heading for the door. "Where are you going?" He asked. Damn. "I... Okay. You tell me where I need to be." "You need to set up my bed. Remember when you were sick as a kid and your mom would put towels everywhere and set the trashcan next to you." "Yeah. Except it was a maid." I said. "Well, you need to do that. Okay? Then come back and sit with me." He said. "Will do, cheif." I then headed out into the room, grabbing towels out of the cabinet and pulling the trashcan over to Marco's bed. I set up thre towels and sighed softly, hearing Marco barf again and headinng into the room. I waited until he was done then I rubbed his back, "I've got everything set up." I said softly. He let out a shaky breath and stood up. I flushed the toilet but I dont think Marco noticed, he was stumbling a bit. I grabbed his arm, leading him to his bed. He got in, closing his eyes and, obviously, feeling fatigued. I actually felt really worried, I realized. What if he was seriously sick? Or hurt? Or something. I really wanted him to feel better. I snakeed a hand through my boyfriend's hair and he opened his brown eyes to look at me. I chewed on my bottom lip, knitting my eyebrows together. "I hope you feel better tomorrow, Marco..." I said softly. "Y-Yeah..." He responded. "I love you a ton..." I said. He smiled softly, "Jean... You're so sweet... I love you, too..." "I'm gonna do my best, okay...?" I said, "You just have to help me..." He nodded slightly, "Yeah... Okay..." I half smiled softly, "I'll see you tomorrow..." He nodded again then I slid my hand out of his hair and went to my own bed. It took me a little while to get to sleep.

I woke up a few hours later and disabled Marco's alarm so he wouldnt wake up. I got dressed into baggy jeans, a t-shirt, and my Pink Floyd hoodie, along with my black beanie and a pair of converse. Then I brushed my teeth and hair, grabbed my key, wallet, and sketchbook, and headed to breakfast. The snow was melting very slowly. Thank God. I was tired of the shit. I headed into the cafeteria and as soon as it got to be around the time that Marco would walk in, people were asking everyone I was sitting with, where he was. People from fucking everywhere. It was so weird. Our friends asked me first, obviously, and Annie left immediately, not saying anythig except for the word, "Flowers." But then it was a whole load of people asking our group of friends where he was. It was very odd. People had already been asking even while we were just sitting there, me waiting for the lines to get shorter. But then I went to get food and these two girls next to me(clearly freshmen), literally, poked me. I was pretty horrified. People dont usually talk directly to me and I dont like being touched randomly. So I did the most awkward thing I could have possibly done in that situation. I was startled, so I wildly karate chopped in the girls' direction. They yelped and leaned away from me. When I realized that it was just some girls, I stopped. "Jesus Christ..." I said, "You scared me." The girls just looked at eachother then the one on the left said, "... Do you know where Marco is?" "Well considering I live in the same dorm as him, yes I do." I responded, intending on ending the conversation there. They were quiet and I turned away, but they stopped me again. "W-Wait!" One of them said. I sighed, turning back around, "What?" "Where is he?" She asked. "He's sick." I said, sighing. "Oh... Poor Marco." The other girl said. "Why are you asking me?" I asked, grimacing. "You're, like, his best friend, right? We always see you two together... What's your name, by the way?" She responded. Best friend... Well, yes. But. Also something else. I smirked, "I'm Jean. And Marco's my boyfriend." They just stared at me. Then they got really giddy. "You're boyfriends?" One of them exclaimed. I nodded, raising an eyebrow. "Oh my God that's so cute! We thought Marco was adorable and we actually wanted to see if either of us had a shot with him but-" I couldnt help but grimace a bit "-him being with someone else, especially like you, is so cute!" Especially like me? I shrugged. "We'll spread the word!" Wait... Nobody knew except our friends? These were like fans. Marco was a fucking celebrity and his "fans", apparently, didnt get any information unless he spread it to the world. What. The. Actual. Fuck. I blinked, turning away and heading back to the table. This was weird. No. I mean, Marco wasnt at all conceited. He was extremely humble. He knew a ton of fucking people, though. But these people idolized him. It was scary. I'd never known someone like that. Would Marco even be my boyfriend right now if we hadnt been in the same class? Or would the class and I just idolize him like everyone else does...? God it was weird... At the end of Pixis' class, I texted Marco with, "On my way back. Want anything to eat?" And he responded with, "Better not... But thank you." "Feeling better?" I asked. "Not really." He responded with a crying emoji. "I'll be back soon" I texted, feeling bad for him. When I tried to go back to the dorm, the entire rest of the class wanted to come. And I couldnt stop them... We got to the room and I opened the door, and everyone piled in. Marco sat up quickly. "Jeaaannn..." He whined. "I'm sorry! They were worried!" I exclaimed. "MARCO!" Reiner yelled, "ARE YOU OKAY?!" Jesus... Marco cringed, "I'm sick not deaf!" Reiner laughed, "Sorry! Sorry!" "My God..." "Marco." Armin said, "I brought you food just in case you wanted it. I know you said no but..." He then put a bag of food on Marco's side table. Marco smiled, "Thank you, Armin..." "You havent gotton sick yet this school year, have you?" Mikasa asked him. He shook his head, "No... I usually have a really strong immune system... I'm wondering where I caught this from..." "Do you know what is is?" Bertholdt asked. "I think it might be the flu..." He responded, "But I could be wrong..." Everyone immediately backed up and Marco laughed softly, "Hey..." "I brought you these, Marco." Annie said, placing a full bouquet of roses in a vase on his side table. "Yeah." Reiner said, "As soon as Jean said you were sick, she ran out to get you flowers. Even though you arent dying!" Marco laughed softly and Annie glared at Reiner. "Awwhh..." He said, smiling, "Annie. You didnt have to do that..." "You deserve it." She responded. Marco laughed, "Thanks..." "Should we take your temperature again?" I asked. Marco raised his eyebrow slightly and nodded, "Yeah. Most likely." I went into the bathroom. Goddamn... That eyebrow raise. It wasnt obvious but I caught it... I wish I knew what that was about. Maybe he was annoyed with me bringing everyone in here. I tuned everyone out as I washed the thermometer. I knew it was already clean but, y'know. I brought over the thermometer. "What did we do in class...?" Marco asked as he put it into his mouth. "He started talking about our presentations of the movie posters." I said, "You cannot miss that! It's on Friday." He shrugged and said around the thermometer, "We'll see how I'm doing by then." The thermometer beeped after a few seconds and Marco looked at it. "100. As expected." He said, handing the thermometer back to me. I went back into the bathroom to clean it off. Ymir's birthday was this week. And everyone was going to get sick from Marco now. Which sucked for her. But what can you do? I suddenly heard my name, "Jean'll probably get it before any of you do." Everyone was silent then Connie said, "Yeah. Probably. His immune system isnt awesome anymore, really..." Woah woah. Dont talk about it, Connie. "Hey." I said, coming out of the bathroom and glaring straight at Connie, "Shut up." "Why is there such a sudden change of mood...?" Marco asked, "I was just saying that considering we live in the same dorm, he probably has a higher chance of getting it..." "Oh yeah!" Reiner said, laughing awkwardly, "Probably! Anyways! Guys, we should get going!" Everyone mumbled in agreement and they filed out. "Come on, Jean. Gotta talk to you real quick." Connie said, pulling me outside and closing the door behind him. I was annoyed. "What?" I asked. "Jean you have to tell him." Connie said. "You really do." Mikasa agreed. "You cant just keep it from him. You're dating! He's our friend!" Connie exclaimed. Woah. Where the Hell was this coming from? Connie had mentioned that maybe I should tell him but he wasnt being so fucking pushy and I barely even reacted to it because I was still going to do what I wanted. But these guys were ganging up on me. "Then you fucking tell him! You seem to care so goddamn much!" I exclaimed back. Connie sighed, crossing his arms, "You and I both know that you have to do it." ... I knew. I knew but fuck Connie for bringing it up. Or whoever it was who brought it up. "Just stop talking about it around him!" I exclaimed. They were quiet. "Can I tell you guys something?" I asked. They nodded. "I'm gonna tell him during soon. Spoiler alert. And you guys need to lay off. I'm fine. I'm gaining weight. Havent I already told you this? I'm already getting help. I'm helping myself when I'm alone and my mom is helping when we're together." They suddenly looked really guilty. "Sorry, Jean..." Connie said. "I'm really sorry." Armin said. "We didnt mean to guilt you into it. We just want Marco to be in the loop, y'know? So he could help out..." Eren said. I sighed... "You didnt guilt me into it, idiots. I decided on my own. I'm a stubborn fuck. What you said didnt even affect me. Dont blame yourselves, okay? And I'm getting enough help already. I said this. It's fine." They were quiet again. "You're so nice, Jean." Sasha said. I smirked, "Only to you fuckers. Dont even worry about it, okay? I understand why Marco should know but I'm pretty goddamn sure he knows something. He isnt pressuring me." "And we are right now, arent we?" Mikasa asked. I sighed, shoving my hands into my pockets. They looked really guilty. "We're sorry, Jean. We didnt mean to randomly gang up on you." Eren said. The rest of them mumbled in agreement. "You guys... You know you're important to me. And I've known you for forever. You can tell me anything. And I know you just want Marco to help me, right? But I'm getting help, okay? This is the one time that my family is helping me. I know you're so used to being my backbone but it's okay this time, okay?" They nodded. I held my arms out and we had a group hug. I didnt blame them. They were worried. That was all. And I understood. They thought I needed more help when I really was okay. I went back into the dorm. "You okay?" Marco asked. I smiled. "Yeah. Just Connie. Are you feeling any better?" I asked, walking over to him and letting my smile go away to replace it with worry. "A bit, I guess. I havent thrown up yet." "Well that's good... You probably have nothing else in you to throw up." He nodded in agreement, "Yeah. Probably... I'm surprised I even had anything to throw up earlier this morning." He said. "I know." I said. "What are you going to do now?" He asked me. "Hang out here with you." Marco smiled at that, "Jean... Thank you..." "No problem." I responded, smiling back. "I wish you could cuddle with me..." He said. I shrugged, "When I throw up tomorrow, we can cuddle." He smirked, "How do you know you're gonna get it?" I sighed and said, "Connie's right, man... My immune system sucks ass." "That's probably why it's bad." Marco said. I was confused. "... What?" I asked. "Your immune system is probably bad because it sucks ass on a regular basis." What the fuck? I laughed, "Shut up! That makes no sense, Marco!" He smiled, "That's okay." He then sunk down and cuddled up beneath the covers. I guess I could let the terrible jokes go. He was probably slightly loopy. I sat at the foot of the bed. "Are you gonna go back to sleep?" I asked. "I might drift off, yeah..." Marco responded. "Well I'll stay here until next class begins..." I said, rubbing his leg. "Okay..." He responded... Marco was really adorable right now... He was all curled up under his blankets... I remembered my mom telling me to compliment him everyday. So I decided to say, "Y-You're cute..." He laughed softly, "I'm cute when I'm sick...?" "You're just cute in general..." He suddenly sat up and pulled me close to his chest. "Ahh! No! You're sick as fuck!" I exclaimed, pushing against him. "You'll just have to get it..." He said, "I cant not cuddle you for four to five days, Jean..." I sighed softly and gave in, snaking my arms around him, "Yeah... I cant really deal with that, either..." I agreed. "Are you actually willing to get this...?" He asked. I shrugged, "I'll be fine..." I rubbed his back. "I hope you feel better soon, though, Marco." He nodded into my shoulder.

Sure enough, I had it the next day. It was expected. And neither of us blamed ourselves or eachother for it, considering we both wanted to cuddle. We slept mostly all day and the day after that. On Thursday, Marco went to class. And on Friday, he was all better. I came to class, too. But he wasnt feeling great. It ended up being that Connie, Armin, Ymir, and Annie all got it. So Pixis postponed our presentations until the next Friday. It wasnt until Sunday that I felt completely better. Marco told me that Thomas sarted drinking and I noticed his sleeping schedule becoming fucked up. And, finally, Monday came... It was around one pm and Marco and I were at lunch with Connie, Sasha, and Eren's group. "Marco. You look exhausted... How's Thomas?" Armin asked. He managed a soft, but tired, smile, "He's alright... I mean, I've been slowly convincinng him... He knows it's bad..." "You need to get to sleep earlier." I said. He sighed softly, looking at me, "It's hard to sleep when you know that you could be doing more than you already are doing for everyone..." He was so nice. But... "You cant help everyone." I said. Marco surprised me suddenly by saying very harshly, "How would you know?" Everyone was quiet. I narrowed my eyebrows at my boyfriend, "I am trying my damnedest, Marco." I said. Marco sighed softly, expressing defeat, "I know. I know... I'm sorry... I'm just stressed out, is all... Sorry, Jean..." I knew he was tired... It was okay. I let out an exhasperated sigh and looked at my calorie count on my phone. When, suddenly, Marco grabbed my phone from me, exclaiming, "What the Hell are you always looking at?" Shit bitch fuck! I held onto my phone as hard as possible, pressing the finger pad and exiting out of the tab. "Marco! The fuck?!" I exclaimed as I yanked my phone back. That was fucking uncalled for and embarassing as shit. "Marco! My goodness. Calm down!" Sasha exclaimed, putting a hand on his shoulder. He just groaned and put his head down on the table. "Goddamn..." I muttered, "You need to get it together..." "I have it together!" He exclaimed. "No you dont!" I said back, "You're freaking out. Calm down." I rubbed his back. He was so fucking stressed out and it was worrying me. He lifted his head. "You're right... I'm sorry, everyone." Everyone waved it off. "No no, Marco." Mikasa said, "It's fine. Sometimes you get freaked out about things. We get it." He nodded, smiling softly, "Thanks, guys..." I gently slid my fingers between his, our hands embracing. Everyone went back to their comversations. Then Marco's phone started ringing with All About that Bass. Momma Bodt. He pulled it out and answered with, "Mom?" He smiled softly, "Ciao, mom... I'm doing alright. How are you and dad?" He narrowed his eyebrows, "Yeah?" He asked then shook his head, "What is it?" It was quiet. Then Marco's eyes widened. "What? Pregnant?" He said. Woah what? We all looked at Marco. "You cant be. There's not enough time. Not enough money. Not enough room! You cant do this. What if it's twins? Triplets? Sextuplets? I cant, mother!" He said, shaking. He got up, ripping his hand away from mine. "I'll be back or something." He said, then he ran out of the building. Well shit...  
"I wasnt the only one who heard that, am I?" I asked. Everyone shook their heads. I sighed, "He's so fucling stressed out..." I pinched the bridge of my nose. "We know..." Armin said. "I'm worried about him..." "Everyone is." Mikasa said. I nodded. I looked past Connie, out the window at Marco who was facing away. When he went down, I wasnt really expecting it. He'd fainted before but that was when he banged his head. When he did, however, I sprang up, almost jumping over the table to get to the front door, everyone questioning me until they realized what had happened, getting up themselves. I ran outside to him. His phone was scattered on the floor. And as I called his name, I put the peices of it back together. "Marco! Marco!" I exclaimed from above him, shoving his phone into my pocket. "My God... What is with you and passing out...?" I asked. Fuck I was fucking horrified. I didnt like this fainting thing. "Is he okay?" Sasha exclaimed. "He's waking up." Armin said. Marco groaned a bit, blinkinng a few times. "Where's my phone...?" He mumbled. I snorted, "You just passed out and the first thing you do when you wake up is ask where your phone is? I have it. Had to put it back together, though." He sighed shakily as Eren and myself pulled him to his feet. "I got him from here, Eren." I said. Eren let my boyfriend go. "You sure?" He asked. Innodded, "Yeah. I gotta take care of this one on my own." "You sure we cant help with anything?" Connie asked. I shook my head, "Naw..." They sighed and Eren patted my shoulder. Then I led Marco to the car. "You okay...?" I asked as we were driving back to campus. He shook his head, leaning it against the window. "What happened?" "My mom is pregnant..." "So I wasnt just hearing things... She's really pregnant?" He nodded, "Sorry for causing so much trouble..." I shook my head and took his hand, "If anyone knows anything about stressing out to the point of passing out, it's me, okay? It's okay, Marco..." He sighed softly, "I've just been such a dick to you lately and I dont think it's very fair. Just because I'm feeling bad doesnt mean I should make you feel bad..." I shook my head again, "I said it was okay. I'm not offended. I know, Marco." He nodded slightly, squeezing my hand.


	28. Ten Steps at a Time CH 16 (Marco)

When we got outside, it was starting to get dark. I checked my phone and saw that it was around 5:30 so it made sense that it would be starting to get dark in winter. I sighed softly as we walked through the main building to the parking lot. "Let me drive, Marco." Jean suddenly said. I nodded and handed him the keys. The two of us headed to the van. I got in the passenger's seat and Jean got in the driver's seat. "It sounded crazy from outside of the room." Jean said as we backed out of the parking spot. I smirked, "Well. It was crazy. So yeah. I can imagine." I pulled down the sun sheild and opened the mirror that was attatched to the inside. My hair was completely messed up and there was a bruise on my jaw, as Jean had said. Also, I was sweaty and red in the face. Great. "Wow..." I sighed. "I know." Jean said, glancing at me, "It's kind of hot." I spluttered at that, "Jean!" He grinned. "My God... What the Hell is hot about me looking completely messed up?" I asked, fixing my hair. Jean laughed, "That's why it's hot." I sighed, "Really... I'm done with you." Jean laughed again, "Oh really? You can just leave, then." I grinned, "Nah. I dont want to die by jumping out of a van." Jean smirked and I examined the bruise on my jaw. Then I wiped my forehead with my forearm, closing the mirror and folding back up the sun sheild. I directed Jean towards the closest hotel to the university. We checked in and when we got into our room, I immediately said, "I'm going to take a shower." "Okay." Jean responded, searching through his backpack. I was about to go into the bathroom when I remembered... I turned back around and looked into the room from the doorway, "Hey, Jean?" I asked. He looked at me. I studied his face then sighed. Maybe it wouldnt be a great idea to ask about his weight after all... I mean, Gerald said something to me about it when it shouldnt have been told to me by anyone other than Jean. But. I had to know about it if I was going to keep my boyfriend safe... I sighed softly. I had to think about how I was going to phrase this. "N-Nevermind..." I said. He raised an eyebrow and I smiled, hopefully, reassuringly at him before going into the bathroom. How awkward. I took a quick shower, trying to think of a way to phrase what I wanted to say. It wasnt my place but now that I knew about him potentially having weight problems... I was worried and I wanted to make sure he was okay... I wrapped the towel around my waist as I turned off the shower then went to the mirror. I immediately realized that I had left my comb in my backpack. I'd have to either make do with my hands, or have Jean give me my comb. I attempted to fix my hair but it didn't work. I just couldn't part it correctly without a brush or comb. I groaned a bit. This would be awkward for Jean. I didn't mind since we were dating now but I knew that Jean might. I opened the door a crack, "Jean." I said. "Yep?" He responded from the bed area. "Can you go into my backpack and get my comb for me? It should be in the front zipper." "Yeah. Sure." He responded, coming into view as he went over to my bag. "Actually, just hand me that whole bag." I said, realizing that I didnt want to get back into those sweaty clothes I'd already been wearing all day. Jean picked up my backpack and turned to me, stopping. I knew what he was thinking. He turned pink and looked at the floor. "I'm aware that I am wearing the nakedness." I said, smiling, "Give me the bag, goober." He stepped over to me and handed me my bag. I took it, kissing him on the cheek before closing the door again, leaving Jean there with his own thoughts. I got dressed into sweat pants and a black t-shirt then I combed my hair to it's rightful place. I folded and put my dirty clothes into the backpack. Then I hung the towel on the hook on the door before heading out of the room. I placed my bag down on the ground against the wall. Jean was doing, basically, nothing at all. He was just sitting on the edge of the bed, on his phone. "You're always on your phone." I said. Jean looked at me and smirked, "I am not, weirdo." "Yes you are. Everytime I come into a room where you are by yourself, you're on that thing." "Really?" He asked, "Huh..." I smirked, stepping over to him and taking his phone and earbuds from him. "Hey!" He exclaimed as I tossed them onto the bed behind him. I then wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close to me. He wrapped his arms around my neck and tangled his fingers in my hair, resting his elbows on my shoulders. "I love you." I said. He sighed, "Love you too, I guess." I laughed softly, "What?" "You heard me!" I leaned in and gave his neck a raspberry. He flailed a bit and pushed me away, not expecting it. "What the Hell, man?" He exclaimed, putting a hand over his neck and wearing the most confused face I'd ever seen on him. I laughed, "It was just a raspberry!" He made a weird strangled noise. "No! I do not enjoy that!" "Okay. I'm sorry." I said, still grinning, "C'mere." I held my arms out to him. "No! Get away!" He exclaimed, scooting back farther onto the bed and grabbing his phone. I smirked. "Let's go out for dinner, Jean. I'm hungry." "You arent dressed properly." Jean said, mocking my general nagging about people's clothing choices. I smirked, smacking his leg. He laughed. "I'll put on some jeans." I said. "No. You dont have to." Jean said, "I, literally, do not care." I sighed. "Okay. I think I'd look better but okay." "You always look great, Marco." I felt my face get hot. "You're sweet." I said. He smirked, getting off of the bed and pulling his boots on. "You need to wear those Uggs I bought you." I said. "Naggy!" He exclaimed. I laughed softly. "Naggy Mc Naggerson." He said as I pulled on my own Uggs. "Your face!" I exclaimed. "Wow. Great comeback." He said sarcastically. "Thanks." I replied, smiling at him. He rolled his eyes before walking past me.

The two of us ate dinner and I watched his eating habits. They werent exactly strange. He ate mostly all of his food. Which was reassuring. He checked his phone a lot, though. Which wouldnt have been strange if it werent for the concentrated gaze he gave whatever was on the screen. When he got up to go to the restroom, I tried to decode the lock on his phone to see what was on the screen but I ended up not being able to figure it out soon enough. I felt kind of bad after I tried, too. I didnt want to be that boyfriend that snooped through all my partner's stuff. We went to bed soon after dinner and I woke up at five, just in case Thomas woke up early. I got dressed into my Hawkeye t-shirt and jeans. Anyone who says that Hawkeye isnt the best, I will almost punch them. I swear. Hawkeye is the best and nobody can change my mind about that. Sure enough, Thomas texted me at around 6:45 and I had to wake Jean up. I watched him sleep for a few moments. He was really cute... I gently shook his shoulder and he groaned, effectively cutting off his snore midway through, rubbing his eyes, and rolling over, "Go 'way, Marco..." I chuckled softly and patted his back, "Get up. Thomas texted me. He's awake." Jean groand again and got up relatively quickly then shuffled into the bathroom, taking his backpack in there with him. I smiled softly and texted Thomas back with, "Okay. I hope you got some good sleep. We'll be there in a bit." Then I texted both Mina and Hitch with, "Thomas is awake." And Hitch texted back with, "Yeah. We stayed in his room last night" What? They stayed in his room all night? "Why?" I asked. "We had to keep a close eye on him" then there was a thumbs up emoji. I smirked softly, "Right." I texted, "Jean and I will be there soon." Jean evetually came out wearing skinny jeans and a white t-shirt. Not unusual. I grabbed my green hoodie, which I hated. My hoodie was a bright green. And because of that, it didnt look right on me. But I didnt have any others. I grimaced as I put it on and sighed. Jean looked at me when I did. "You okay?" "I just hate this thing." I responded. "Oh... Do you want to wear mine?" He asked, holding his black Pink Floyd jacket out to me. "And I'll wear that one?" Woah. Why was he doing this...? "Sure." I responded, raising an eyebrow and taking off my jacket, "Why, though? That's so... Giving of you." He smirked, "I guess you're affecting me? I dont know." He handed me his hoodie and I handed him mine. He put my hoodie on and it actually looked really great on him. "It looks better on you." I said, pulling on the Pink Floyd hoodie. He shrugged. "Everything looks good on you, though." I added. He smirked, "Shut the fuck up. I'm a fucking ugly ass motherfucker." "You are not." I disagreed, pulling him close to me, "You're very handsome." He smirked, "Shut the fuck up." That's strange. I recalled that when we first met, Jean was pretty arrogant. And now... He was insulting himself. "You look great, Marco. All the time." He said. I smiled softly, "I'm just one giant commercial. All these logos on me." "Hawkeye isnt exactly an advertisement." Jean said, grinning, "Unless you're advertising uselessness." My jaw dropped. "No. You did not just say that." He laughed. "I'm not talking to you for the rest of the day, Jean." I said, letting him go and going to grab my phone and wallet. "Oh come on! I was joking!" Jean exclaimed, still laughing. "You dont joke about Hawkeye!" I exclaimed, turning to him, "You're dead to me." Jean snorted then covered his mouth. I laughed at that. "And you make fun of me for snorting! Look who's doing it now! Weirdo!" I exclaimed. "You need to stop influencing my life!" Jean exclaimed, grinning, "I have Uggs, Marco! And I was excited to get them!" I kept laughing, "I know, Jean!" "I'm just glad you arent obsessed with fucking Loki or Thor. I'm done hearing about those guys." Jean continued. I shrugged, smiling, "They're attractive. They arent my favorite but they're pretty great." "We need to stop talking about fake people and go help a real person." Jean said, grabbing his own phone and wallet. "Yes!" I exclaimed, "Let's go do that." We got to Mattheius not long after that.

The two of us walked to the dorm building and went up to Thomas' room. I knocked and Hitch opened the door, smiling softly at us. I smiled back, "Hey. Is he alright?" "He's dressed and everything, if that's what you're asking. All three of us are ready to go." I nodded, "Right." We went into the room and Thomas was sitting on his bed, looking somewhat put together. He still looked very tired but other than that, he didnt look bad. "Hey, Thomas..." I said. He just glanced at me. I understood. "Can we talk, man?" He asked me, "Like in private?" I nodded, "Y-Yeah. Of course. You three wait here." I said to Hitch, Mina, and Jean. Then Thomas and I headed out into the hall and outside to the courtyard. We were silent for a bit until Thomas said, "I'm sorry, dude." What for?" "Being annoying, bro." I smirked. "You arent being annoyong. Well, you are annoying. But not for needing help." Thomas grinned a bit at me. "Look. Thomas. I came here because I wanted to help. If I didnt care, I would have stayed in Pennsylvania. I came here on my own accord." He nodded a bit. "And if I can do anything to help my friends, I'm very happy..." Thomas nodded a bit, "Well... Thank you, Marco. I actually really appreciate your help, dude. What are we doing today?" "You havent eaten yet, have you?" He shook his head. I smiled, "Good. We're going out to eat." The two of us then went back into the dorm building. Jean, Hitch, and Mina were outside of the room, talking, when we walked over. "Hey!" Mina exclaimed, "Here you go, Thomas." She then handed him his phone and wallet. "Ah thanks, brah." He said, smiling. The five of us then headed to the main building. "How have you been, Jean, my man?" Thomas asked, clapping him on the back. "Fine." Jean replied, "I'm good." Thomas held his fist out to Jean and Jean obliged, fist bumping him. I smiled softly at the exchange. "Jean made fun of Hawkeye this morning." I mentioned as we all piled into the car, me driving and Thomas in the passenger's seat. The rest of them in the back. "What?" Thomas exclaimed, lookingg back at Jean, "Are you crazy, dude? How much did the punch hurt?" Jean laughed, "I didnt get punched." "Aw man." Thomas said, looking at me, "What the Hell? You punched me when I made fun of him, dude!" I laughed and shrugged, "When was that? Highschool?" "That was last summer, dude!" Thomas exclaimed. I laughed harder, "Oh right!" "Jeez, Marco! Forgetting that you're still a violent motherfucker!" "I am not violent! I try not to be, anyways." "I dunno. You fucked those guys up pretty bad after we went ice skating." Jean chimed in. "Yeah but I did that to protect you. There was no way those guys were going to back down." "You beat somebody up, man?" Thomas exclaimed, "The Hell?" "It was three guys." Jean said. "What?" Thomas exclaimed. I smirked, "Yeah. I did. And I felt really bad afterwards. And so did my ankle." "Dont feel bad, bro! What did they do?" "Jean provoked them because they littered." I said. I heard Jean laugh. "Jean! What?" Hitch said, "That doesnt mean you should go provoke them! It's not that big a deal!" Jean just kept laughing and I rolled my eyes. "It sounds so dumb when you explain it..." "Oh, trust me, Jean, it was dumb while it was happening, too." I said. "What was dumber was what you said to try to cushion the blow for me after I threw that cup at his head." Jean said. I couldnt really remember what I had said... "What was that?" I asked. "You were like, 'I'm sorry about him. He's just really passionate about keeping the environment healthy.'" I laughed. Really? I said that, "Well! That's... Pretty stupid..." "I know!" He exclaimed. "Oh my God, Marco! Really, man?" Thomas asked, "You just... Are ridiculous, bro." I smiled. I was really glad that Thomas was feeling better. I could tell that he was a lot more calm than before. I reached over and gently rubbed his shoulder. He smiled at me and patted my hand before I pulled it away. We eventually reached a restaraunt that I knew Thomas loved. When we sat down at a booth, Jean, myself, Thomas, Mina, then Hitch, I noticed how exhausted Thomas looked. "How much sleep have you been getting?" I asked him. He sighed, "Not much, man. Last night's sleep was the most amount of sleep I've had all week." "Really, Thomas?" I asked. That was worrying. He nodded, "Yeah... I'm sorry." "Dont apologize to me, Thomas. Apologize to yourself. Just sleep more." I smiled softly, "That's how you can make it up to yourself." "You're such a hippie, dude." Thomas said. "Hey! What? I am not." I said. "'Apologize to yourself, maaan...'" Thomas mocked. "I didnt even say it like that!" I exclaimed, "If that's how hippies speak, then you're a hippie." "I dont even talk like that, dude." "Yes you do." Mina said. "I do?" Thomas asked. The four of us nodded. "Goddammit." Thomas said. "At least you arent loud as shit anytime you say anything." Jean said. "Like Reiner?" I asked, "He scares me sometimes." "Who? What?" Thomas asked. "The huge, blonde guy who took you to the common building when you came to Coirtney to visit Marco." Jean said. "Oh yeahhh." Mina said, "He's loud." Hitch looked pretty confused. "Our friend, Reiner, only yells. He cant speak normally. Or whisper. He just yells." "Yep. It's really bad if any of us ever plan a birthday party. He has given us away many times." Jean said. "Example?" Mina asked. "Well. Our good friend Armin's birthday is in November. And we were going to throw a surprise party for him." I started. "And we usually would be able to silence Reiner before he gave it away but Armin is too smart. He caught on." Jean finished. "And it wasnt a surprise party anymore." I said. "You guys need to stop finishing stories for eachother right now." Hitch said. I laughed softly, "But we both know what happened!" Jean grinned a bit. Jean did that thing again where he looks intently at his phone at whatever he was reading. He got up to go to the bathroom. And I didnt want to gossip about it to my friends but... They were close to me. "Guys. I have to tell you something." They immediately turned their attention to me. I gave them a summary of my meeting Gerald and the odd conversations he'd been starting with me. And the ones about Jean's health. Then I told them about my worries about Jean really having weight promblems and I let them know that Jean hadnt actually said anything about it to me. "Well. Do you have any proof?" Mina asked me. The three of them looked a bit worried now. I sighed, "Nope... Did you guys notice anything when you first met him?" Thomas and Mina looked at eachother, "Well..." Mina said, "I noticed he was slim but I just thought that was part of his structure so... And he doesnt look sickly. I mean, he's basically made of triangles, right?" I nodded. Then I noticed Hitch. She wasnt looking at me... "Hitch." I said. Mina and Thomas looked at her. "What do you know?" Hitch was silent then she sighed and looked at me. She had her eyebrows knitted together and her mouth was in a line. "I think you need to wait for him to tell you." "What do you know?" I asked again. "It's not my place, Marco... I thought you would have known by now. But I guess Jean is even more awkward than I remember. You just need to wait. Whatever this Gerald guy is saying, just ignore him. And wait for Jean to tell you what's going on. Okay? Promise you'll do that?" She asked. Darn... "... I cant promise anything, Hitch. But I'll wait." She nodded, understanding. "... You could tell me." "Marco. You know well that that isnt a good idea." I sighed. I knew. "Yeah I know... But I'm worried." "I know you are. But you just need to wait. I'm sure he'll tell you soon." "I tried decoding his phone password because he was looking so intently at it but-" "Stop snooping." Hitch said. I sighed and nodded. "Right. Right... I'll wait..." I felt better after Hitch assured me that I should just wait... I was more calm. And when Jean came back, we all remained quiet about the previous conversation.

The next few days were kind of a blur to me. I planned a bunch of things for Thomas and he enjoyed all of them. We planned to leave on Wednesday and by Tuesday night, Thomas was looking a lot better than he did when I first had come to Texas. When I thought about it, I kind of had missed this place. It was such a long time ago, it felt like. But I had missed it. And it was good to be back for a weekend or so. Jean and I flew back home the next day and immediately went to bed. It had been a long three or four days and I was so exhausted. I was glad that I had managed to make Thomas a bit happier. We had a heart-to-heart about our families and he was really upset about his granddad. All I could do was hug him and tell him that it would get better. Things were finally somewhat normal again as the week progressed and we got back into the swing of things. "Wait. What are you getting him?" I was asking Jean on the Friday of the same week we had returned. Half of us were working in the hallway and the other half of us were in the room. I didnt mind either way but Jean wanted to get out of the stuffy room so I followed him. Christa, Ymir, Connie, and Sasha were out there with us. "I think I'm gonna get him a fucking tomahawk then hit him with it." Connie laughed at that, "What the-?" I laughed softly, too. "Jean. Be serious." "I am being serious. I do not care about this secret santa bull, man. I'm annoyed with my life already. Cant I just not this time?" I sighed. "Jean. I'll help you, okay? What does Eren like?" "I dont fucking know. Mikasa? Being pissed off all the fucking time?" I groaned, "Give me something to work with." "He likes Nintendo a lot." Connie said, "And superheros." "Really?" I asked, "Marvel or DC, though? That is the real question." Connie shrugged. "Hmmm..." I said. "Eren fucking Jeager has more in common withh my boyfriend than I do." Jean said. "If he picks DC, he wont have anyhing in common with me." Jean raised an eyebrow at me, "Nintendo is still something." "No. Everything we could potentially have in common is cancelled out if he picks DC over Marvel! I mean, I love them both but... Marvel!" "Calm down! Oh my God!" Ymir exclaimed, laughing(that was kind of odd, though. Because I didnt think Ymir really was fond of me.) The rest of them laughed, too. Except for Jean. Jean just stared at me then shook his head, "You're crazy. I'm crazy for dating you. What am I doing with my life?" I laughed, "Hey! Offensive." "Are you obsessed with Marvel, Marco?" Connie asked. "I-" "Yes." Jean chimed in, "More specifically: Hawkeye." "Yes. Okay. Can I rant?" I said. "Yes. You can." Sasha agreed. "So I am so done with everyone saying how useless Hawkeye is. He's amazing, okay? He's the best Avenger and no one can ever convince me otherwise." "He got mind controlled by Loki-" Ymir said, "Loki could have done that to any of the Avengers. Hawkeye just happened to be there." "-He's obsessed with Black Widow-" "She's a very pretty lady." "-AND all he did the whole battle was shoot arrows. Meanwhile, Iron Man almost died." "He did his job. And he shot perfectly on target. Eyes like a hawk!" Ymir snorted at that. Jean laughed, "I swear, Marco... I didnt know you were such a fucking nerd before not too long ago." "Are you regretting dating me?" I asked. He shrugged, "Naw. It's fine." "'I'll just deal with it.'" Connie mocked. I laughed. "That's not what I meant!" Jean exclaimed, "I'm so fucking done with you shits." "Calm down, man!" Connie said, patting Jean's shoulder. Jean shrugged him off and scowled as he worked on his peice. I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek which caused him to turn very pink and backhand me in the face. "Ow!" I exclaimed, laughing softly. Suddenly, Reiner ran out of the room yelling, "Come on, Eren!" Then he cupped his hands together. "What the freaaak?" Connie asked. Eren then ran out and Reiner boosted him up to the ceiling. Eren pushed up the panel on the ceiling. "What the fuck are you doing?!" Jean exclaimed. I was so confused. "Whoooo! Go Eren!" Sasha yelled really loudly as Eren pulled himself into the ceiling. Reiner let go of his foot when he was up there. Eren then put the panel back behind him. "The FUCK?" Jean exclaimed. "Did he do it?" Armin said, walking out of the room. "Yep! He's up there!" Reiner yelled. "Pixis, you owe Eren seven bucks!" Armin said as he walked back into the room. "Can I get out now?" I heard Eren yell. I must have looked so confused. Because I really was. "No!" Jean exclaimed, standing up. "Reiner! Boost me!" "Jean no!" I exclaimed, grabbing his arm. Reiner burst out in loud laughter, cupping his hands. "Reiner dont encourage him!" I said. Jean manuevered around until he got out of my grip. Then he put a foot in Reiner's hands and Reiner lifted him up. Jean immediately started punching at the tiles above him. "Jean!" I exclaimed, getting up. "Quit it, horseface!" Eren exclaimed. I grabbed Jean's ankle and yanked it. He immediately fell, letting out a yell. I grabbed him in my arms. "Jean. Stop it." "Jesus Christ, Marco! You fucking scared me!" He yelled. "It's already dangerous enough. He doesnt need you punching him while he's in the ceiling." I said as Eren made his way back down to the floor. "What the Hell, Jean?!" Eren yelled. "What the Hell back, Jeagar!" Jean immediately yelled back. "Need to hide behind your boyfriend?" Eren exclaimed. Eren pls. No. Jean started struggling in my grip, "NO WAY!" Jean screamed. "Stop!" I exclaimed, holding Jean tighter, "Just calm down. Please. You dont have to get upset." Jean stopped at that and it was a few moments before he took a deep breath and I let him go. He patted Eren on the shoulder then went back to work on his peice. Eren looked at me like he had just seen my face turn into a fish. "The Hell...? How...? What...?" "Please dont explode." I said, holding my hands up. Eren just rubbed his forhead, confused, before walking back into the room. Reiner had wide eyes. "How did you do that, Marco?" He exclaimed. I laughed softly, shrugging and heading back over to my place next to Jean. "Marco! You're magic!" Sasha exclaimed. "No I'm not. He just needs assurance that it's okay if he just would calm down." "I'm right here." Jean said. "I know, honey." I said, kissing his cheek. He smirked at me. I knew that Jean was a softie on the inside... That's just how he always was. And if I honed in on it, so would he.

We celebrated Mikasa's birthday on the tenth of February. And it was the next day when I got a call from Thomas. "Hello?" I said into the phone. I had been trying to work on starting a new work in my studio. "H-Hey..." Thomas said. He sounded upset. I narrowed my eyebrows together, sitting up in my chair, "Hey... What's up? Are you okay?" "M-Marco. I'm s-seriously about to have a panic attack." I raised my eyebrows, "Wait. What? Why? Okay. Relax. Take deep breaths..." I heard his shaky breathing over the phone. "Where are Hitch and Mina?" "T-They went out..." "Why? Okay. No. Nevermind. Just. Relax. And tell me what's going on, okay?" I said, my eyebrows knitting together. "There's a competition tomorrow and I still havent finished my work, Marco help me please oh my God..." I heard his breathing get erratic again. "Shhhh..." I said softly, "Take more deep breaths... Now. If you dont get the work done, you've done all you can do, right?" "M-Mhm..." "Well then... Thomas. You cant let this things get to you. You'll get back on your feet. You just had a bump in the road. For what it's worth, I think you are going to get back into it, okay? You sound great." I reassured. "Marcooooo!" I heard Jean yell from his studio. "Hang on, please, Thomas. Keep breathing." I said, pulling the phone away from my ear and yelling, "Poloooo!" Back at Jean. "Haha! Get in here!" He exclaimed. "I cant. I'm on the phone! You'll have to wait!" I said. I heard Jean groan. I smirked, putting the phone back to my ear. "Thomas?" I said. "Y-Yeah, dude?" He asked. Good. He was still there. I smiled softly, "You'll be just fine. Okay?" It was silent then Thomas said, "Right..." "I want you to relax and take a fifteen to thirty minute nap or break or anything to get away from your work for that time, okay? It's only 12:45. That will help you get more enthusiastic about this work." I said. "Okay... Thanks, Marco... I took something last night but now I just feel guilty about it, man..." "Thomas... Dont do that. It's no way to deal with your problems. Call me or text me or facetime me if you need anything, okay?" I said. "Right. Hippie." He said. I laughed, "Hey! ... Love you, Thomas. Feel better, okay?" "Yeah. Love you too, bro." He said before hanging up. I sighed. I really hoped that he wouldnt do anything risky again. I was worried about him... I remembered then that Jean had called for me. I opened the door between our studios and went in, "Hey. What do you need?" Jean turned from his desk to look at me. "Yeah. Um..." He started, tapping his knee with his pen. "My mom's coming in for a visit... On Sunday." He said. Crap. I slapped my forehead, "What?" "I know. I love her but... It's so last minute. I have so much shit to do." "So do I, Jean... Does she know that we're... You know?" I asked. Jean shook his head. "She'll probably be okay with it but it's still really terrifying." He said. I nodded, "I understand your fear." "What were you doing?" He asked me. "I was on the phone with Thomas. He was freaking out about a competition tomorrow. But he's alright." I smiled. He smiled back, "That's good." "Should we clean up the dorm later on? So your mom wont be terrified and think I'm a slob?" I asked. Jean smirked, "The dorm is clean." "It is not." "Marco. It's pretty damn clean." I sighed, "It's not. Really. What kind of pigstie did you live in at home?" Jean grinned, "A pretty awesome one. Free food all the time. All I had to do was lift a shirt and hey! A hotdog!" Then his face went serious. I laughed, "Eww! Jean!" "Seriously, Marco. Do you think I lived in a tornado zone? There are, at least, four maids living at my parents house. They do actually clean things." I rolled my eyes, "Okay. Okay. I get it. You spoiled brat." Jean raised an eyebrow and half smiled at me, "Oh really?" He asked. I crossed my arms, "Yep." I responded. Jean stood up and stepped over to me. We had a sort of stare off. Then I grabbed him around the waist and lifted him up yelling, "I win! You're spoiled!" And he yelled my name out in surprise. I laughed softly as Jean put his hands on my shoulders. "You always fucking scare me when you do this random shit!" He exclaimed, looking down at me with wide eyes. I felt my face form into a huge smile and I leaned up, nuzzling my nose against his'. He sighed in slight annoyance so I put him down, pecking him on the lips breifly. But our hands remained placed on eachother. Jean was refusing to look at me, and was extremely pink. I noticed now that the tops of his ears were pink, too. Oh man... Another cute thing added to the list. I was probably flushed pretty badly, as well. I pulled him closer to me. "Hey." I said. And he locked eyes with me, "You're really cute." Jean spluttered, his blush spreading, "S-Shut the fuck up, Marco!" He yelled, "You're cute!" "No. I'm pretty sure you're cute." "You're fucking cute! You're the one with freckles and giant eyes!" He exclaimed. I laughed softly, nuzzling my face into his neck, "Okay. Whatever you want, Jean. Your ears are just pink and it's cute. That's all." "Stop looking at my friggin ears!" He exclaimed. I laughed a bit more and squeezed his sides. He suddenly jolted, "Dont do that! It tickles." Oh really? Jackpot. "Oh. Well then..." I said. "Dont get any fucking ideas!" He exclaimed, pulling away from me and going back over to his desk. "Noo. Come back..." I said. Jean smirked at me and just sat back down, "Shut up." "Do you want to grab some people and go to lunch?" I asked. Jean's somewhat light expression, darkened. "Yeah. Sure." He sighed. I knitted my eyebrows together, "What's wrong?" Jean waved a hand, "Nothing. Yeah. Let's go do that." He said, standing. Suspicious! I was just waiting for him to explain this weight thing to me now. I was just going to do what Hitch said and wait. But I was already kind of impatient and it was getting worse as the days progressed. Not to mention everything that was happening other than that. Thomas, my parents financial situation, and now Jean's mother coming to visit. It was all stressing me out pretty badly. I was getting less and less sleep.

On Friday, the day before Valentine's day, we exchanged gifts. Jean got Eren a Wii U. A WII U! it was so nice of him. "Dude. I thought it was gonna be a fucking pie catapulted into my eyes." Eren said. "Just your eyes?" Jean asked, laughing and grinning. "Why did you get me this?" "Because you're my friend as much as I hate to admit it." Jean said, raising an eyebrow, "Friend's since before college, Eren. You've helped me through a lot." Eren nodded, "Yeah, man." He said, smiling. Jean held out a hand to Eren and he gripped it, shaking Jean's hand. I wondered if this was a sort of truce? Hopefully they respected eachother now? One can only wish for that. When I went up to Annie, she looked really surprised. I had gotton her a charm bracelet that had a bunch of Kung Fu and Tai Chi weapon charms on it. I had gathered from conversation that she had done a lot of classes in those two martial arts. And that she was still doing it. When I handed her the small box that was wrapped, she looked at me, "You got me?" She asked. I smiled, nodding. She stared at me for a few more seconds then she ripped open the wrapping paper and glanced at me when she saw the jewlery box. She opened it and stared at the bracelet. Then she started examining the charms. "Marco... Wow. Where did you get this?" She asked, taking it out. "Well, I got the bracelet at a local jewler, and the charms were just bought at some random stores. I'n sorry there are only ten... I wanted to put more on but it was too late." I responded. She shook her head, "No. It's fine." She said, "It's beautiful. Thank you, Marco... Help me put it on?" She asked, holding it out to me. I took it and smiled, putting it around her wrist and clipping it together. "There." I said, "It looks great on you..." She flushed lightly, "Thank you so much, Marco." "Dont mention it." I said, heading back over to Jean, who was ripping open his present. I sat down just as Mikasa walked over and placed a box on my desk that was wrapped in paper. She smiled and I smiled back, "Thank you, Mikasa." I said. "You're welcome, Marco. I hope you like them." She responded, walking back to her desk. I gently tore open the paper, and saw that it was a shoe box. "The fuck?" I heard Jean ask. I looked at him and he was holdig up a weird thing that looked strangely like a... Butt. "What is this? Did you get me some kind of ass sack?!" "It's an assHAT!" Reiner yelled, "It has it on the front." Jean looked at the front and immediately burst into laughter, "Oh my fucking GOD! Thank you! What the fuck?!" Reiner gave him a thumbs up and boomed with laughter. I smiled softly and opened the shoe box. Inside were the most amazing Iron Man vans ever.

I nearly jumped out of my seat. "Oh my God! Mikasa thank you! Where did you get these?" "I bought them on Ebay." She responded. "Thank yoouu! Thank you so much!" I exclaimed. She smiled from her table and I smiled back, putting the shoes back into the box and closing it up then placing them on the floor. I swore that I would wear them forever.

All Jean and I did on Valentine's day was watch movies in our dormroom. There was a party but neither of us felt up to it so we just sat around. That might have not been the best idea, though. Because everyone was asking us if we did the do the next day and for a while after. On Sunday, the both of us were freaking out. I was vacuuming the room as best as I could. There were crumbs everywhere. You just can't eat a granola bar without it getting all over the place. Anyways. Someone knocked on the dorm door while I was mid-vacuum. Jean was out at this point, cleaning up his studio. I shut off the vacuum and went to the door, opening it. Jean's mother. I knew it immediately. She was about average height, she had dirty blonde hair that was in a bun, a very round but long face, and light brown eyes. I was about to freak out. She was early. "Oh! I'm sorry." She said, "Do I have the wrong dorm?" "Are you Jean's mom?" I asked. She nodded, "Yes." "You're in the right place, ma'am." I reassured her, smiling, "Jean is out right now but you can come in and sit while I let him know you're here." "Ah. Alright." She smiled then came into the room, "And you are?" She asked me as I closed the door behind us. "Right. I'm Marco Bodt." I said, smiling. I held a hand out to her and she shook it, "Nice to meet you, Marco! I didnt know that Jean was friends with such a handsome young man." I felt my face flush slightly, "Well thank you very much, ma'am." I responded, "Feel free to have a seat!" I went to my desk and pulled the chair out, bringing it to her. "Thank you." She said, sitting. I then pulled my phone out and texted Jean with, "Your mom is here in the dorm. Get here quick. I'm scared." "He should be here soon." I said to Jean's mom, smiling and putting my phone back in my pocket. "Do you two do a lot of cleaning?" She asked, eyeing the vacuum cleaner. "W-Well. I was just tidying up a bit is all." I said. "So. How did you meet my son? Are you in the same class? Isnt he a lovely boy?" She suddenly threw at me. I scrambled to find answers. "I met him on my first day of class when school started this year. We're in the same classes together. And..." A lovely boy? That didnt even begin to cover it. I felt my face get hotter than it had been before. I smiled softly, "He's an amazing person." She smiled, nodding, "He is, isnt he? A bit of a loner. But still very lovely." I nodded, "He actually has a lot of friends." I said, smiling reassuringly. Just then, the door swung open qnd Jean was there, wide eyed. "Jean!" His mother exclaimed, standing and going over to him, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back and looked at me over her shoulder, mouthing, "Did you tell her?" I shook my head and he rolled his eyes, annoyed. Sorry, Jean. You're not going to get me to say it. You'll just have to do it yourself. "Hey, mom." He said, sighing softly and obviously working up some courage. When she pulled away, he did something that I will admire him for, for the rest of my existance. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me over, "This is my boyfriend, Marco. Marco, this sis my mother, Genevieve." He said, with a completely confident but serious expression and a very matter of fact tone. His mother looked very surprised, "This is your boyfriend?" She asked. Jean nodded once, "Yep." She stared for a few more moments before she grabbed Jean and pulled him close, hugging him tightly. "Jean! Oh my goodness! You found someone who wants to date you!" "Hey!" He exclaimed, "I've dated people before!" "Only three times, Jean! And that was in highschool! Not to mention only during your freshman and sophmore years!" He let out an embarassed groan before his mother pulled away from him then exclaimed to me, "I'm so sorry for treating you so formally!" I laughed awkwardly, "No problem, ma'am." "Wait. You two are living in the same dorm?" She asked. "Yeah." Jean responded. "Jean!" She exclaimed, "You cant do that!" Jean snorted, "What the heck do you think we're doing in here? Naughty stuff? Come on. But if we were doing anything... Us living in the same dorm definately helps as far as convenience is concerned." I felt my face get extremely flushed. I didnt know that Jean could be so blunt about tgings like that. He was always so embarassed to talk about it with anyone. Why not with his mother? She smacked his shoulder, "Jean!" Jean laughed in response. I laughed softly. "I knew there was something about you!" She said to me, "I knew you werent just my son's friend." "Mom." Jean said, "I can have obviously gay friends." I laughed, "Hey! You're so mean!" "What!? Why is that mean?" He asked. I smirked, "Because. Anything you say is mean." "That's not exactly why I thought you were involved with Jean." His mother chimed in, "It was the way you hesitated before you said, 'He's an amazing person.' You obviously thought about my asking if he was lovely and decided that the word didnt cover it. Not to mention the way you flushed and smiled." I covered my face with my hands. Nooo! "Oh really?" Jean asked. Whyyyy?! My face was extremely hot now. I didnt think Jean's mother was so aware! I thought she would be unable to pick things up like Jean is! Darn! "Maybe you should show her your studio, Jean!" I exclaimed, gently shoving Jean towards the door. "Yeah. Sure. Mom, I want to show you some stuff I've been working on." Jean said. He was smirking, though, and had a raised eyebrow. "Marco. Why dont you come along?" He asked me. I smiled softly, "I'd love to but I cant. I promised Christa that I'd help hr with something after I was done vacuuming." Jean frowned but his lips twitched slightly, "Alright. See you later." Then he and his mom headed out. I sighed with releif. This woman was extremely excitable and loud and blunt and awkward and just... Woah. I could see Jean in her for sure. Just as I was about to leave the room, Jean was about to come back in. "Hey." He said. I smirked, "Hi. Why are you back here?" Jean rolled his eyes, "My mom was like," He put on an old lady voice, "'Dontcha wanna kiss your boyfriend goodbye?'" I laughed softly, "Your mother is so..." "I know." He interuppted, "She's always like this. It's draining but I love her." I nodded, smiling. "So. I'm an amazing person?" He asked, grinning and raising an eyebrow. I smiled softly, "We'll talk about it later when we have time, okay? Go back with your mom." I gave him a breif kiss then sent him on his way, sighing softly and watching him go.

I went down to the lobby where Christa and Ymir we're conveniently sitting. Good for me because that would help my story about having to help her with something. I went over to them, "Hey, guys." I said. They both looked up at me and Christa smiled, "Marco! Hi. We just saw Jean and his mother walk by. She looks so nice!" I smiled, "Yeah. She is." I sat down. "How are you, Marco?" Ymir asked. "I'm doing alright." I said, smiling at her, "Kind of stressed but I'm okay." "I just wanted to apologize for making you believe that I dont like you." She suddenly said. I blinked then smiled softly, "Ah. No. It's okay. Dont worry. It's okay." "You're pretty alright, Marco." She said, grinning. "Well thank you very much." I responded. I stayed with Christa and Ymir until Jean came back without his mom. "Hey!" I said as he walked over. He grinned, "Hey." "Where's your mom?" I asked. "We're meeting for dinner at, like, six thirty." "Ah. Okay." I said, "What are you doig now?" I asked. He shrugged, "Just gonna go back to the dorm and recharge." "I'll come with you." I said, standing, "See you guys later." I said to Ymir and Christa. "Bye, Marco!" Christa said, smiling. I smiled back as I followed Jean up the stairs and to our dorm. "So what'd you think of my mom?" He asked me as we headed inside. I smirked, "She's nice." "Good. So. Im an amazing person?" He asked me as I closed and locked the door behind us. I smiled and pulled him close to me, wrapping my arms around his waist. "Yes. You are." He smirked and put his hands on my shoulders. "Aww. You love me." I said, bumping my nose against his'. "Sure." He said, kissing me breifly. The gesture made me smile wider and I nuzzled my face into his neck. "Well I love you, Jean." I said. "I know..." He said, "I love you, too..." "I cant believe you hinted at sex when you were talking to your mother." I said. Jean laughed, "Yeah. Sorry. It must have been awkward." "A little." I responded. Jean sighed softly and I felt him nuzzle his face into my hair. "I really admire you for telling your mother so confidently, Jean..." I said. He let out a snort, "Whatever, man... I was freaked out." "I know, Jean. But you still pulled it off... And you have no idea how attractive it was, either." I said. Jean laughed softly, "Shut the fuck up, Marco..." I smirked and cuddled him closer to me. "Do you want to do something?" He asked me. "Like what?" I asked, "Because if it requires cuddling, then yes." Jean snorted then said, "It doesnt. But I need your opinion on something I'm doing." "Is it here? Or in your studio?" I asked. "It's in here." He responded, starting to pull away from me. "Nooo." I said, pulling him back. "Marco!" He exclaimed, "And you used to call me needy!" Then he pulled away from me. I sighed, "I just love you so much..." Jean rolled his eyes and went to his desk, grabbing his sketchbook. Meanwhile, I pulled off my shoes and flopped onto my bed. I heard Jean say from his desk, "What the heck, Marco? I have ti show you this." "Come here so I can see it!" I exclaimed, sitting up. "Dont sass me. I came out to have a good time and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now." I looked at him in disbeleif at what he had just said. When I saw the expression of mock hurt on his face, I knew he wasnt being serious. I laughed, "Stop! Just come here you massive nerd." "You're the nerd." He responded as he came over to me, flipping open his sketchbook.

Jean went to dinner with his mother that evening and she had left by the next day. However, something else came to give me some company which I didnt appreciate. I woke up that night at 3 am(technically Monday morning)and had a nice upchuck into the toilet. I eventually stopped and just sat there on the floor for a while before I heard Jean get up. I really didnt want him to have to worry about me. I knew Jean was in the doorway of the bathroom because I felt him there. "Holy shit are you okay?!" He asked. I just let out a shaky sigh and flushed the toilet, gulping and pulling myself up, "Y-Yeah..." I said, smiling softly and gulping, already feeling nauseous again. Jean just crossed his arms, "Get the fuck back down there, Marco. You're fucking green as the Grinch." God darn it! I didnt want there to be another bump in the road. I was stressed out enough. But I was wondering if Jean even knew how to take care of another person when they were sick. Probably not. "I'm okay, Jean." I said. "Get. Down." He said, glaring at me. I sighed shakily and sank to the floor again. Jean seemed to be pondering something for a long while before I interupted the silence with, "Do you just want me to sit here...?" Jean shook his head, "No. No. I mean. For now, yes? I dont really know, Marco. I'm new to this 'helping' thing. Erm... If you were in my situation... What would you do?" I knew it. He didnt know how to take care of people when they were sick. Well. This would be a good learning experience for him. "W-Well... I'd have a choice to make at this point... Do I stay with you until you feel better then deal with it in the morning? Or do I go try and fond a thermometer to check your temperature now?" I said, gulping again and feeling like I was most definately going to barf. "Erm..." Jean started, "Where would I find a thermometer? I know we dont-" Jean was interupted by my throwing up in the toilet. "Shit..." I heard him whisper. He was, most likely, looking away. When I had calmed down and flushed the toilet again, letting out a few more pathetic coughs, it was  
silent. "Go on..." I said shakily. "I know we dont have a thermometer." He said. "Well..." I started, "Hanji has one in the nurse's office... And if you remember, Connie had one. He was using one when Sasha was sick last time..." "That's right." Jean said, "I'll be back." Then I heard the door open and close behind him. I sighed softly. This was going to be awful. I'd have to walk him through everything. I mean, I suppose you have to learn before you can do... So it made sense but I kind of wished at this point that Jean would know how to do this. I felt myself slowly start to drift off and before I knew it, Jean was shaking my shoulder and telling me to wake up. I woke with a start, rubbing my eyes. "Connie gave me his. I washed it just now. I dont trust that weirdo." Jean said. I looked at him, "O-Okay..." I was going to throw up again, for sure. So told Jean to wait a second before I put that into my mouth. Then I threw up again, wiping my mouth and flushing the toilet yet again. "... How the Hell are you so calm?" Jean asked. "Well I'd rather not be jumping off the walls at this point... Probably make me barf more..." I held my hand out to Jean and he put the thermometer in it. Then he leaned against the sink counter. I turned on the termometer then put it in my mouth. We sat in silence until it beeped and I took it out, looking at it. 101. "Yep... 101 is definately a fever..." I said. Jean sighed, "Damn... I'm sorry, Marco." He took the thermometer, washing it then washing his own hands and closing the thermometer before putting it on the counter beside the sink. "Do you want to go to bed? Or are you gonna hang out here?" He asked me. I sighed softly. "I'm gonna hang out here for a little while longer." I said. Jean nodded, pushig away from the counter and heading for the door. "Where are you going?" I asked. "I... Okay. You tell me where I need to be." Dammit, Jean. "You need to set up my bed. Remember when you were sick as a kid and your mom would put towels everywhere and set the trashcan next to you." "Yeah. Except it was a maid." He said. "Well, you need to do that. Okay? Then come back and sit with me." I said. "Will do, cheif." I smirked at that as he headed out into the room. I started drifting off again but I was woken up by nausea. I let it go into the toilet and felt a hand rub my back as I flushed again. "I've got everything set up." Jean said softly. I let out a shaky breath and stood up. Jean gently grabbed my arm, leading me to my bed. I got in and got comfortable. Then I felt Jean's hand snake through my hair and I opened my eyes to look at him. He had his eyebrows knitted together and was chewing on his bottom lip. "I hope you feel better tomorrow, Marco..." I felt my face get hotter than the fever was already making it. "Y-Yeah..." "I love you a ton..." I smiled a bit. "Jean... You're so sweet... I love you, too..." "I'm gonna do my best, okay...?" He said, "You just have to help me..." I nodded slightly, "Yeah... Okay..." He half smiled softly, "I'll see you tomorrow..." I nodded again then he slid his hand out of my hair and went to his own bed. And I immediately drifted off.

When I woke up the next morning, Jean had gone. I looked at my phone and my alarm had been disabled. I smirked, knowing that Jean probably did it. Jean had the passcode to my phone. He needed to get into my phone a lot so I eventually just gave him the passcode. It was noon now. Class was probably just letting out. Sure enough, my text tone went off with a "Bazinga!" From Sheldon. And Jean had texted me with, "On my way back. Want anything to eat?" I smiled softly and responded with, "Better not... But thank you." "Feeling better?" He texted back. "Not really." I responded with a crying emoji. "I'll be back soon" he responded. It was around ten minutes later when I heard Jean's keys rattle in the door. When the door opened, however, it wasnt just Jean there. Everyone from Pixis' class piled in. I sat up quickly. "Jeaaannn..." I whined. "I'm sorry! They were worried!" He exclaimed. "MARCO!" Reiner yelled, "ARE YOU OKAY?!" I cringed, "I'm sick not deaf!" Reiner laughed, "Sorry! Sorry!" "My God..." "Marco." Armin said, "I brought you food just in case you wanted it. I know you said no but..." He then put a bag of food on my side table. I smiled softly, "Thank you, Armin..." "You havent gotton sick yet this school year, have you?" Mikasa asked me. I shook my head, "No... I usually have a really strong immune system... I'm wondering where I caught this from..." "Do you know what is is?" Bertholdt asked me. "I think it might be the flu..." I responded, "But I could be wrong..." Everyone immediately backed up. I laughed softly, "Hey..." "I brought you these, Marco." Annie said, placing a full bouquet of roses in a vase on my side table. "Yeah." Reiner said, "As soon as Jean said you were sick, she ran out to get you flowers. Even though you arent dying!" I laughed softly and Annie glared at Reiner. "Awwhh..." I said, smiling, "Annie. You didnt have to do that..." "You deserve it." She responded. I laughed softly, "Thanks..." "Should we take your temperature again?" Jean asked. Oh. Now he was thinking ahead, was he? I nodded, "Yeah. Most likely." Jean went into the bathroom. "Ooh! We get to witness it!" Sasha pointed out. I laughed softly, "It wont be that interesting. It'll probably be 101 or 100..." Sasha just shrugged as Jean brought over the thermometer. "What did we do in class...?" I asked as I put the thermometer into my mouth. "He started talking about our presentations of the movie posters." Jean said, "You cannot miss that! It's on Friday." I shrugged and said around the thermometer, "We'll see how I'm doing by then." The thermometer beeped after a few seconds and I looked at it. "100. As expected." I said, handing the thermometer back to Jean. Jean went back into the bathroom. "Man. I hope this thing doesnt spread." Ymir said. "You and me both..." I responded, "I'm sorry that this thing is starting to spread the week of your birthday, Ymir." Ymir shrugged, "It's alright. I usually celebrate it when I go home for Spring Break." I nodded sympathetically then said, "Knowing what's going to happen, though, one of you are going to get it." "I vote Armin, Bert, or Connie!" Reiner yelled. Everyone laughed at that. "I dont know..." I said, "Jean'll probably get it before any of you do." Everyone was silent then Connie said, "Yeah. Probably. His immune system isnt awesome anymore, really..." I was confused as to why everyone became so quiet and why Connie was being so... Cryptic. "Hey." Jean said, coming out of the bathroom and glaring straight at Connie, "Shut up." "Why is there such a sudden change of mood...?" I asked, "I was just saying that considering we live in the same dorm, he probably has a higher chance of getting it..." "Oh yeah!" Reiner said, laughing awkwardly, "Probably! Anyways! Guys, we should get going!" Everyone mumbled in agreement and they filed out, wishing me the best. "Come on, Jean. Gotta talk to you real quick." Connie said, pulling him outside and closing the door behind him. I sighed softly. I just wanted someone to tell me about Jean's health. That's clearly what this was about... Jean came back in after a few minutes and even though he had a huge smile on his face, I still had to ask. "You okay?" "Yeah. Just Connie. Are you feeling any better?" He asked, walking over to me and letting his smile fade. "A bit, I guess. I havent thrown up yet." "Well that's good... You probably have nothing else in you to throw up." I nodded in agreement, "Yeah. Probably... I'm surprised I even had anything to throw up earlier this morning." I said. "I know." Jean said. "What are you going to do now?" I asked him. "Hang out here with you." I smiled at that, "Jean... Thank you..." "No problem." He responded, smiling back. "I wish you could cuddle with me..." I said. He shrugged, "When I throw up tomorrow, we can cuddle." I smirked, "How do you know you're gonna get it?" Jean sighed and said, "Connie's right, man... My immune system sucks ass." "That's probably why it's bad." I said. "... What?" He asked. "Your immune system is probably bad because it sucks ass on a regular basis." Jean laughed, "Shut up! That makes no sense, Marco!" I smiled softly, "That's okay." I then sunk down and cuddled up beneath the covers. I felt Jean sit at the foot of the bed. "Are you gonna go back to sleep?" He asked. "I might drift off, yeah..." I responded. "Well I'll stay here until next class begins..." He said, rubbing my leg. I smiled a bit, "Okay..." It was silent then Jean said, "Y-You're cute..." I laughed softly, "I'm cute when I'm sick...?" "You're just cute in general..." I sat up and pulled him close to me. "Ahh! No! You're sick as fuck!" He exclaimed, pushing against me. "You'll just have to get it..." I said, "I cant not cuddle you for four to five days, Jean..." He sighed softly and snaked his arms around me, "Yeah... I cant really deal with that, either..." He agreed. "Are you actually willing to get this...?" I asked. He shrugged, "I'll be fine..." I felt him rub my back. "I hope you feel better soon, though, Marco." I nodded into his shoulder.

Sure enough, Jean had it the next day. It was expected. And neither of us blamed ourselves or eachother for it, considering we both wanted to cuddle. We slept mostly all day and the day after that. On Thursday, I felt iffy but well enough to go to class. And on Friday, I was all better. Jean came to class, too. But he wasnt feeling too awesome. It ended up being that Connie, Armin, Ymir, and Annie all got it. So Pixis postponed our presentations until the next Friday. It wasnt until Sunday that Jean felt completely better. By that time, Thomas had called me again, saying that he had started drinking again. So I was trying to convince Hitch and Mina to intervene. And they tried to do so at one point but they couldnt beat him. So I told them to get some help. I kept telling Thomas to please get rid of the stuff and it seemed like I was slowly cracking him but I couldnt be sure. Jean had noticed my sleeping schedule becoming messed up. And, finally, Monday came... It was around one pm and I was with Jean at lunch with Connie, Sasha, and Eren's squad of three. "Marco. You look exhausted... How's Thomas?" Armin asked me. I smiled softly, "He's alright... I mean, I've been slowly convincinng him... He knows it's bad..." "You need to get to sleep earlier." Jean said to me. I sighed softly, looking at him, "It's hard to sleep when you know that you could be doing more than you already are doing for everyone..." "You cant help everyone." Jean said. "How would you know?" I asked harshly. Everyone was silent. Jean narrowed his eyebrows at me, "I am trying my damnedest, Marco." He said. I sighed softly, "I know. I know... I'm sorry... I'm just stressed out, is all... Sorry, Jean..." Jean let out an exhasperated sigh and looked at his phone, studying whatever was on it with intesity as always. I really shouldnt have done this but I was already annoyed with everything and stressed out and just feeling like crap and I was at the end of my rope as far as Jean's keeping his weight problems from me was concerned so I did this. I grabbed his phone from him, "What the Hell are you always looking at?" I exclaimed. Jean looked horrified and he held onto his phone tightly, pressing the finger pad and exiting out of whatever he was looking at. "Marco! The fuck?!" He yanked his phone back. This was also really bad because there were people around and what I had just done had probably really embarassed Jean. "Marco! My goodness. Calm down!" Sasha exclaimed, putting a hand on my shoulder. I just groaned and put my head down on the table. "Goddamn..." I heard Jean say under his breath, "You need to get it together..." "I have it together!" I exclaimed. "No you dont!" Jean said back, "You're freaking out. Calm down." I felt his hand rub my back. He wasnt being violent with me... Which was odd. Anytime we had fought before, he would always get hot headed and violent. I lifted my head. "You're right... I'm sorry, everyone." Everyone waved it off. "No no, Marco." Mikasa said, "It's fine. Sometimes you get freaked out about things. We get it." I nodded, smiling softly, "Thanks, guys..." I felt Jean's fingers intertwine with my own and I knew it was all going to work out. Everyone went back to their comversations. Then my phone started ringing with... All About that Bass. My mother was calling. I pulled it out and answered with, "Mom?" I had no idea what this was going to be about. "Marco! Ciao honey." I smiled softly, "Ciao, mom." "How are you?" She asked. "I'm doing alright. How are you and Dad?" "Well... Actually. I have some news for you." I narrowed my eyebrows, "Yeah?" "I dont know if you're ready for this, Marco." She said. I shook my head, "What is it?" She was silent then she suddenly exclaimed, "I'm pregnant!" Everything stopped. I felt my eyes widen. "What? Pregnant?" I said. I was freaking out. "You cant be. There's not enough time. Not enough money. Not enough room! You cant do this. What if it's twins? Triplets? Sextuplets? I cant, mother!" I realized my voice was shaking, my entire body was shaking. And everyone at our table was looking at me. I got up, ripping my hand away from Jean. I said to the group, "I'll be back or something." I then got out of there as quickly as I could. The fresh air helped some as I heard my mother say from far away, "Oh come on, Marco! It'll be interesting! Your father and I are excited." "Nonono!" I exclaimed, "You cant! Please! This isnt good! There isnt enough of... Anything!" And there it was. The lightheadedness that came whenever there was too much emotion. "C-Can I call you back, mom?" I asked. "Okay, Marco..." She said. She sounded upset. "I'm sorry, mother. I'm just surprised is all... Really. Congrats. I'll call you later. Dont worry about it..." "Okay, honey." She said, "Call me back soon." "I w-will... Love you." I said quickly before hanging up. I was getting ready to sit down. But I couldnt even do that before everything went black. I knew I was going to pass out as soon as she said those two words. I was always that one person who fainted in high stress situations in highschool. And I still am. I woke up almost as soon as I had passed out, though, to voices around me. "Marco!" I heard Jean exclaimed from above me. I opened my eyes slightly and it was blurry. "My God... What is it with you and passing out...?" Jean asked me. "Is he okay?" I heard Sasha exclaim. "He's waking up." Armin said from beside me. I groaned a bit, blinkinng a few times. My phone wasnt in my hand. "Where's my phone...?" I mumbled. Jean snorted, "You just passed out and the first thing you do when you wake up is ask where your phone is? I have it. Had to put it back together, though." I sighed shakily as Eren and Jean pulled me up. "I got him from here, Eren." Jean said. Eren let me go, then. "You sure?" He asked. Jean nodded, "Yeah. I gotta take care of this one on my own." I was too exhausted to even laugh at that. I tuned out the rest of their conversation. Then Jean lead me to the car. "You okay...?" He asked me as we were driving back to campus. I shook my head, leaning it against the window. "What happened?" "My mom is pregnant..." "So I wasnt just hearing things... She's really pregnant?" I nodded, "Sorry for causing so much trouble..." Jean shook his head and took my hand, "If anyone knows anything about stressing out to the point of passing out, it's me, okay? It's okay, Marco..." I sighed softly, "I've just been such a dick to you lately and I dont think it's very fair. Just because I'm feeling bad doesnt mean I should make you feel bad..." Jean shook his head again, "I said it was okay. I'm not offended. I know, Marco." I nodded slightly, squeezing his hand. Well, dammit... I needed to calm down and... Maybe Jean was right... I cant help everyone... Especially not at one time... How was I going to work this out?


	29. Ten Steps at a Time CH 17 (Marco)

I called my mother that evening. "I'm really sorry about earlier..." I said, twisting the end of the sheet on my bed. I was trying not to pace around. "It's okay, Marco. I understand that it was a shock." She reassured. "That and I've been dealing with a lot of stuff lately so it was just another thing that will have to be on my mind." I heard her laugh softly, "Marco. I'm having the baby. Not you. You dont need to think about it 24/7." I laughed, "Yeah... You're right... Sorry. Sorry." "You just need to take some time for yourself. You should go do something fun by yourself and not worry about anyone else." She said. That sounded like a good idea. "Yeah. I'll do that... Really, Mother, congradulations." She laughed softly, "Thank you, Marco. We love you." "I love you guys, too." I responded, smiling, before hanging up. I put my phone on my side table and ran a hand through my hair. "Everything alright?" Jean asked me. He was working on something in his sketchbook at his desk. "Yeah." I sighed, "It's all okay now." "Good." I headed over to him and looked at what he was doing. It was a really cute illustration of a little girl. I sighed softly. "Jean..." I said. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "You need to be an illustration major." Jean just sighed and rolled his eyes, closing his sketchbook. "I'm serious, Jean." He stood and walked past me to the closet. "It doesnt make money, Marco." He said as he pulled his coat out. "But you will be making money. And you'll be happy. Wouldnt you want do something you actually love to do rather than something that just makes more money?" "No." He said, looking at me and pulling on his boots. I sighed, "Well I think you do. And you're going to regret it if you dont. You'll have a degree in the wrong thing." "I dont need your lecture." He said, grabbing his room key, car keys, and his phone. "I'm not lecturing. I'm trying to convince you." I said. "It's all the same to me at this point, Marco." He said. "Look. Jean. This is another thing on my list that has been stressing me out." Jean grimaced at me, "Why?" He asked, "Marco. You cant control everything in the world." He then opened the dorm door. "Where are you going?" I asked him. "I'm going out. I dont want to hear this." I was taken aback, "You're running away?" "I guess." Jean shrugged. "What the heck, Jean? Dont run." I said. He looked at me, "You scold me for fighting and now you're scolding me for running?" I sighed, "No. I want you to fight with words. Not with fists. But dont hide, either." He stared at me then came back into the room and closed the door behind him. "Fine. State your side of this thing or whatever." He said, crossing his arms across his chest. I sighed softly, "I think you should do illustration instead of graphic design because, while it doesnt make as much money, you will become depressed if you cannot do what you want to do. Remember when your dad almost banned you from coming here?" Jean's eyes widened at that, "Remember how depressed you were because you couldnt do what you wanted?" I continued, "That will happen again, Jean... Maybe not now but... Soon. Next year, at least. Maybe after college. When you get a job as a graphic designer then you become aware that it isnt what you wanted. Jean, the environment wont suit you. And neither will the work. Ask anyone and they'll tell you that illustration is what you have skills in, Jean. They will also say that that is when you look the happiest. When you're drawing cartoons and illustrations." Jean was staring at me wide eyed. Then he cleared his throat and said, "The reason why I think I should do graphic design is because of money." I sighed softly, "If I have money, I can live well without having to try hard. I dont want to work to have a happy life. I want it to be handed to me. Because that's all I know. Make sense?" I was... Kind of surprised. I thought he might want to finally try because it would be a different world than where he grew up. But... I suppose that wasnt the case. "I know you work for everything you want." He suddenly started, again, "And I know that it's because you have to. But you dont have to if you would just go back to your original idea of going into graphic design. Like me, you've decided to stick with what you know. You are still going to work for it all. And I am still going to have it handed to me." He was right... I'm doing the same thing... "Jean." I said, "Am I ever going to convince you?" Jean sighed softly, "I dont know, Marco. Most of your arguement was based off of what might happen in the future. Me being depressed in the future. I'll 'regret it' eventually. Y'know... You cant predict that." He was right. I couldnt. "Maybe I can't, Jean. But which made you happier? And please answer me honestly... Making that movie poster or making those four little seasons illustrations of that girl for one of your summer assignments?" I asked. Jean seemed to think about it for a while(one of the longest whiles I'd ever been through)before he sighed, looking down, and mumbled, "The seasons illustrations... I just... Dont like having to collaborate with my art, I guess. It's a fun thing to do every now and then but... Yeah. It'd get tiring and boring after a while... It'd drain me pretty quick." "I know." I said, "That's why I said that being a graphic designer will not be a fun working environment for you. You have to talk to people in illustration, too. But you dont have to collaborate as much as far as art is concerned. That's what lead me to believe that you'll become despressed when you figure out that you dont want to do it and it would already be too late, Jean. Still, though... Money or happiness? You can think about it..." Now Jean wasnt looking at me at all. I knew that he was thinking about it now and considering both sides instead of being a stubborn ass about it like before. I smiled softly and stepped over to him, pulling him close to me. He wrapped his arms around me. "I love you, Jean... I just want you to do what you want..." I said, "And working hard for material objects doesnt mean you get happiness with them..." Jean nodded, resting his head on my shoulder. I was glad that he finally understood that I wasnt trying to attack him.

I managed to sleep okay that night. Not much better. But I managed to get at least an extra hour in. I woke up feeling as extremely exhausted as usual, though. I pulled on khakis, my Hawkeye t-shirt, and put a Star Wars sweatshirt over top of it. Then I went and woke up Jean. I decided that I would wait for him to get ready this time. Then we could go to breakfast together. I was getting tired of the granola at the cafeteria but I didnt feel like driving today. I pulled on my Uggs as Jean came out of the bathroom dressed in skinny jeans, and a green v-neck. "Six more weeks of winter." Jean said as he pulled on his boots. I sighed, "I know..." "Stupid fucking Phil." Jean said. I laughed as he took his coat out of the closet, "It's a groundhog. It doesnt know." I said. "It's a stupid system! That's what it is!" Jean exclaimed, throwing his coat on the ground in frustration, "They could use a goddamn cat and it would give the same result! They could use a human!" I laughed more, "I know, Jean." "Do you think Phil gets paid to fucking do that shit? Because if he does, I would glady fucking take that job!" He exclaimed. "Shh!" I hushed him, laughing softly, "You're so loud!" "I dont care!" He yelled. "Jean. Whoever is next door is going to beat you up." I warned. Jean smirked at me, "Thanks." I smiled softly and stood, walking over and picking his coat up off the ground. He snatched it from me and put it on. "Hey." I said, laughing softly, "Snatchy." Jean grinned at me then grabbed his room key, wallet, his phone and his sketchbook. "Come on." He said. Nodding towards the door. I grabbed my own things and the two of us headed out, Jean closing and locking the door behind us. As we made our way across the courtyard, I felt someone suddenly grab my arm. I stopped, turning. I assumed Jean stopped, too, because his fingers remained locked with mine. Gerald. "Hey." Gerald said, smiling, "What's up, Marco." "Heeeeyy..." I said, pulling my arm away from him. Then he turned his attention to Jean. "Hey, Jean. How are you feeling? Any better with your we-" The word was cut off by Jean's fist in his nose. I knew it was coming. I felt Jean's hand rip out of mine and I stumbled back from the attack. Gerald immediately went down to the snow. Jean stood over him and grabbed he front of his shirt, slamming his back against the ground over and over again. "W-Wha-at the H-He-ell?!" Gerald exclaimed. Then a crowd started gathering. Nonono. Jean would most definately get in trouble for doing this. "Leave Marco alone!" Jean yelled, "He's my boyfriend! Not you-" Jean was cut off by an uppercut to his jaw. There seemed to be a lot of cut off speech going on. The crowd got bigger. They were cheering. I saw familiar faces. Reiner. Connie. They both looked extremely worried at what was happening. Why werent they doing anything about this? Wait... Why wasnt I doing anything about this?! Gerald managed to get control back and he pushed Jean off, who fell onto his back. Jean struggled to get up as Gerald got to his feet. Then Gerald did something that made me regret not stopping them sooner... Was it careless of me to want Jean to hurt this guy? I thought so after Gerald pulled this move. He literally picked Jean up. When Jean's feet werent on the floor anymore, I knew it was going to be bad. My eyes widened at the sight. Gerald got in a few hard punches on Jean's face as Jean struggled in his grip. It happened so fast but I knew I had to do something. I jumped forwards, dropping my sketchbook, just as Gerald lifted Jean up and hurled him at the sidewalk. No. I felt myself run forwards and I put my arms out. I lost all thought. My elbows tore across the sidewalk as I fell forwards to, hopefully, be successful in the mission I had just set out to complete. My right arm, I hoped, would soften the blow he was going to get to the head otherwise. My left arm would try to soften the blow to his back. He fell into my arms extremely painfully. Gerald had thrown him hard. But I had successfully stopped the horrible damage that could have potentially been done to his head. I couldnt believe how easily Gerald had destroyed Jean... I turned my attention to the blonde standing above me. This was over. "I dare you to mess with us again." I said to him, "Next time, it'll be me you get to face." I stood up, holding Jean close to me. I felt his arms snake around my neck. He was not okay... Gerald suddenly lunged at me. I tried to back up but I slipped. I suddenly saw two people jump into the circle from the crowd, grabbing onto Gerald. I managed to get my balance back and focused on Connie and Reiner who were holding him back. Thank God. I felt hands on my shoulders, too. I jerked around. Eren. And Armin. "Oh my God is he okay?" Armin exclaimed. "I-I dont know!" I cried. Eren and Armin both started from my sudden outburst. "I have to get him to a hospital!" "Just take him to Hanji! She's dealt with worse than this!" Eren yelled. I was going to trust Eren. I nodded, heading towards the front building. I refused to look at Jean at all. Maybe later. I didnt want to see how bad it was yet. I wasnt ready.

When I went in, Petra gave me a horrified look and pointed down the hall. I followed her hand and pushed open the door to the nurse's office with my back. "Hanji!" I yelled. She immediately came out of the back room, "Yes?! What?" She exclaimed. Then she saw Jean. "Oh my God..." She said, grabbing him. Jean held onto me, though, and wouldnt let go. Hanji sighed, "You're going to have to carry him." I nodded. She led me to the back room where there were at least three bed type cots set up. "Put him down here." She said, patting the first bed, "I would have him sitting but I dont think he's fully conscious." Well... That wasnt a good sign. I lied him down but he kept his arms around my neck. "Jean... Let go. Come on." I said softly, prying his fingers off. He eventually pulled off. And I stood up straight, opening my eyes, and taking in the damage. It wasnt as terrible as I had been expecting... I mean, it was bad. But not as bad as I had thought. The punch to the jaw had left a nice bruise. He definately had a black eye, his nose was bleeding, and he had scratches. One on his cheekbone and one above his eyebrow. His hair was disheveled(expected)and his jeans had somehow been ripped at the right knee. "This poofy jacket must have helped." Hanji said, unzipping his coat. I nodded. Well... I was a bad boyfriend. I let him get beat up... Even thought I'd told him that I wanted him to fight with words, not fists, the night before... "C-Can I help in any way?" I asked. Hanji shook her head, "No. I dont think so." I nodded, "O-Okay..." "Go ahead and take a seat." She said, gesturing to the chair sitting next to the bed. I did so. As she checked him for head injuries and cleaned up his face wounds, I just felt more and more guilty. "Have you been getting enough sleep?" Hanji asked me suddenly as she cleaned the blood on Jean's chin and below his nose. "Not really..." I responded, "Been kind of stressed..." "You know if you dont get enough sleep, it will just get worse and then you'll get behind on your work and..." She droned on for a while. I would have listened if I wasnt feeling so terrible. I watched her clean Jean's face and put bandaids over the cuts. She had put an ice pack over his eye to stop the swelling. Eventually, she snapped me out of my ignoring her with, "He doesnt have any brain damage that I can tell. I'll do more testing when he wakes up. But. I believe he'll be okay." Oh thank God... "You should go to class. It's starting in five minutes, Marco." She continued. I looked at the clock. "Yeah..." I agreed, "But... I cant just leave." I looked at Jean. She sighed and smiled at me, "I understand. Do whatever you think you should do. He'll be alright, though. He'd probably feel bad for burdening you if you stayed." She was right. He would... But this was really my fault. "Not to mention he probably doesnt want to face you. He got himself hurt pretty bad." He would blame himself. I wasnt completely convinced that I should leave, though. "I cant leave, though... What if he wakes up and I'm not here?" I asked. "Would you like me to tell Pixis if he wakes up? So he can let you know?" I nodded. "Could you? I'll be back after class if he doesnt wake up before then." Hanji nodded, smiling, "Yeah. Go on."

I made my way out of the room and past Petra, out into the snow. I felt awful... I trudged through the mush and past the spot where the fight had been. I went to the class building and down the hall. Class had already started. I was ten minutes late, at least. When I opened the door, everyone stopped, including Pixis, and looked at me. I walked to the table that I usually sat at with Jean and plopped down into my seat. Everything resumed after a couple more quiet moments. Pixis talked about the presentations and something about life drawing. Then he let us go. Connie came over to me, setting two sketchbooks down in front of me. Mine and Jean's. Right... We both dropped them... I gave Connie a weak smile, "Thanks, Connie..." I said. "Is he okay?" Connie asked. "Yeah... He'll be alright..." I responded. "You know your sweatshirt has blood on it?" Connie asked, pointing. I checked where he was pointing. My elbows... That's where I had skidded my arms across the sidewalk. I sighed, "I'm bleeding..." I stood up, walking out of the room. I had completely forgotton about that... I went into the bathroom, pulling my sweatshirt off and cleaning off the scrapes. I then folded my sweatshirt up, with the sleeves tucked deep in so the blood wouldnt get everywhere. I went back to the room, sitting back down. I didnt check to see if everyone stared at me this time. Instead, I opened Jean's sketchbook, flipping through it slowly, taking in every drawing. I turned a certain page and there were a bunch of sketches of me... I looked like a massive idiot, as usual. It was dated September. A shadow suddenly towered over me. I looked up. Ymir. "Hey..." I said. She held out two band aids to me, "These are from Christa and I. She wanted me to bring them to you and tell you that we're glad you guys are okay." "Thanks..." I responded, taking the bandaids. She nodded and walked away. I put the bandaids to good use on my elbows. Then I continued my snooping. I turned the page and, guess what? More of me. Why did he draw me so much? Still September. I went through the next few pages without seeing me. Until the familiar freckles showed up again in November. I was done seeing myself. The next page was in December... My eyes locked on a drawing of me on Jamie's birthday. Woah... I looked awful... My eyes were tired, my hair was ruined, my shirt was even wrinkled to match my mood. And one side of my collar was up. Suddenly, I was hit with sketches of me during the winter break. When had Jean had any time to do these? There was one of me on the ice but that didnt make sense... He didnt even have his sketchbook with him while we were ice skating... I'd have to ask how he did this... I turned the page and it wasnt me anymore, thank God. I came back for some January and February sketches, though. And thhey just slowly went downhill... Not the quality of Jean's drawings. But the way I looked more and more stressed and tired in every sketch. Then there was an unfinished page of March sketches. I recognized one sketch as me just yesterday. I looked like utter shit(excuse me). I just looked so tired and done with everything... I closed Jean's sketchbook and sighed softly. I was losing myself... Suddenly, Pixis' voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "Marco!" He said, "Head to the front building. Just got a text." Thank goodness. He was awake. I gathered my things and practically ran out of the room. I did run down the hall, however, and through the slush to the front building. I skidded in, wiping my feet, before heading to the nurse's office and going in. "Hey! There you are! That was quick!" Hanji exclaimed, smiling, and waving me over. "He doesnt have any brain damage at all, luckily!" I sighed with relief. She led me to the back room and Jean was, literally, on his phone. The idiot. He still had the same ice pack on his eye. Hanji left after I went into the room, thankfully. Jean put his phone down when he saw me. I sighed, walking over to the side of the cot. "Hey..." I said. "H-Hey..." He replied. I gently ran my fingers through his hair, "I'm so sorry, Jean..." He raised an eyebrow, "What for?" He asked. "I mean..." I said, "I'm the one who said I want you to fight with words not with fists but... I let you resort to violence..." Jean snorted, "Oh shut the fuck up..." He said, "I love you, Marco, but come on... You wanted to see that guy get beat up... I heard what you said..." "H-Heard what I said about what...?" I asked. "I heard you threaten him... And say that next time you'd be the one to beat him up..." Oh right... "O-Oh..." I sighed, "I know... I-I'm really sorry... I dont like fighting... I just. I was angry. I didnt know what to do." "I know." Jean said, "It's fine. But sometimes you can't do anything about it other than teach somebody a lesson." I smirked and snorted softly, "Right..." "I mean..." Jean said, "I stopped fighting with Eren because I figured out that it wasn't worth it... Besides. He's helped me a lot of times and put up with my shit all through highschool. And vice versa..." "So... Are you guys friends now?" I asked. "We were always friends, Marco. We just never appreciated eachother. Now we'll be better friends." I nodded. "That's good to hear." I said. "... How's your eye?" Jean shrugged, "I havent really seen my face except in my phone's reflection. But it doesnt feel awesome, either..." I reached up and gently pulled the ice pack away. Jean made a hissing sound. "Sorry..." I said, examining his black eye. "It doesnt look great but... It's not swollen..." "Ugh. Now it hurts." He said. I placed the ice pack on his eye as softly as possible. "Did she say when you could leave?" I asked. "She said I could go at any time. She said I didnt have any brain damage." I nodded, "Yeah. She told me that, too. Do you want to get going?" Jean nodded, sitting up and holding the ice pack in place. I helped him up. "Do you want to head back to the dorm room?" I asked. Jean grinned, "Let's go to class." "Are you serious?" I asked. "Yes! Hey. Why are you holding your sweater? It's, like, thirty degrees, dude." I smirked, "I got hurt a little. There's blood on it." Jean narrowed his eyebrows. "Sorry..." He said. I shook my head, "It's nobody's fault..." I then put an arm around his shoulders and headed out of the back with him. "Bye, guys!" Hanji exclaimed. "Bye, Hanji. Thank you." I said, smiling at her and walking out and past Petra with Jean. "Everyone is going think you're crazy." I said. Jean shrugged, "Gotta go back to class at some point." He said. That was true. Jean and I made our way to the class building(now my third time coming across the yard)and down the hall to the room. When I opened the door, Jean went in first. He had the most friggin confident walk I'd ever seen on him. Like this was a trophy. I smirked, following him in. "Jesus Christ, Jean!" Connie exclaimed. "You should see the other guy." Jean said, pointing at Connie. Reiner boomed with laughter. "Connie and I did see the other guy, Jean! We grabbed him so he wouldnt keep attacking you!" Reiner exclaimed. "Yeah. His face probably wasnt as mangled." Jean said. "Let's see your shiner!" Eren said. Jean grinned and pulled the ice pack off of his eye. There were noises of surprise around the room. "I'm gorgeous, right?" Jean asked. "So pretty, Jean." I said, rolling my eyes, "Come on." Then I grabbed his wrist and went over to our table. He smirked and sat down, putting the ice pack back over his eye. I slid his sketchbook to him. "Oh. Yeah." He said, flipping through it breifly to check for damage. Armin pulled up a chair and sat on the otherside of our table. "Hey. How are you doing, Jean? That was some fight..." He said. "Ah. I'm good." Jean replied, smiling. I rolled my eyes, "You're insane..." Jean just grinned. "Woah. That's a lot of Marco." Armin said, looking at the pages in Jean's sketchbook that he was flipping through. "Hey!" Jean replied, "Shut up!" I laughed softly. "Why are you drawing me, anyways?" I asked. "I'm doing my homework." Jean replied. I smirked, raising an eyebrow, "Homework?" "Yep. Even before we were dating, you were my best friend. So I had to study you and do my homwork." Jean said. "Yeah but that's just homework on my face. Not on my personal life." "Hushushush." Jean replied, "Technicalities." I sighed, looking at Armin, "I think Hanji was wrong. He got some brain damage." Jean grinned, "Shut up!" Armin laughed. "Who's taking my place as Jean's best friend?!" Connie yelled. Jean pointed at me. "Oh! You wanna fight me for Jean, Marco?" I laughed, "No. I dont. Because I'd win." "Oh Hellll no!" Connie exclaimed. "This is weird." Jean said, "Stop. I dont like attention." I knew that Jean didnt get much attention from his friends. And he wasnt used to it. Even if it was just us joking around. I gently patted his shoulder.

I wasnt really surprised at how happy Jean was to be able to fight someone and get his point across to them. Even if he had basically lost, he didnt see it as a loss. And I dont think anyone who knew the context did, either. He did get called to the dean's office and he and Gerald had to face Levi. But Jean was ultimately let off the hook. Gerald. Not so much. He got in some trouble for harassment and being a stalker. So. That's fun. And for the rest of the week as his wounds healed, Jean was extremely happy. On Friday when we gave our presentations for our projects, he was ecstatic to speak about it. Eren wasnt even offended. He thought it was hilarious. Everyone was laughing. Jean's black eye, I predicted, would be almost completely gone by Monday. He had ice on it nonstop so it would hurry up the healing process. The bruise on his jaw was pretty much gone. And he had taken the bandaids off of the cuts, even though he probably shouldnt have. He said that they never stayed on when he washed his face so there was no point in having them. It was Saturday now. And Thomas called me, saying that he'd thrown eveything away. I got confirmation from Mina as proof. I could breathe easy for the time being. "I wish we had the same studio..." Jean was saying, his arms around my neck from behind my chair at my studio desk. "Why?" I asked, "It gives me time to get away from you, you egg." Jean laughed, "Hey. I'm offended. I am no egg." I laughed softly and patted his hand. I felt him rest his chin on the top of my head. "You have a pointy chin." I said. "I'm aware of this." He responded. I smiled softly, "That's okay. I love your triangles." He was silent, "...The Hell does that even mean?" "It means you're made of triangles." He was silent again. "Is that really how my body type is?" "Basically." I said. "That's so weird." Jean said, "Whenever somebody asks me what my dad looks like, I always tell them that he's made of triangles." What? "Really?" I asked. I felt him nod. "That's how I've been describing you to people who ask me what you look like." "Goddamit. Is it bad to wish that I looked more like my round mother?" He asked. I laughed softly, "You're very handsome the way you are, Jean." He just groaned. "Give me a Spiderman kiss?" I asked, tilting my head back to look at him. He looked back down at me and smirked, "Am I Spiderman?" He asked. "Yes." I smiled. He laughed softly and kissed me gently. I kissed him back but pulled away shortly because my neck was dying. However, like an idiot, when I tilted my head back down, the top of my head hit Jean's chin and I heard his teeth clack together. "I'm sorry, Jean!" I exclaimed, looking back at him, "It's fine!" He said, just as frantically, back, "It's fine, Marco." "Oh God did I hurt you?" He shook his head, "It didnt hurt. I swear. I'm fine." "Okay... Let's not do that again, as cute as it was." He laughed and grinned, shrugging, "Whatever you want. It didnt hurt, though." I smirked and turned back around. "Do you want a chair or something, Jean?" "Nah. I'm good." He responded. "You're annoying." I said. He laughed, "Hey! What the Hell, man?" I reached over, opening a drawer and pulling out an energy bar. I was getting hungry. "The fuck?!" Jean asked, laughing, "Do you just keep fucking energy bars in there?" I laughed, too, "Yes! I do. I get hungry, Jean!" He sighed, shaking his head. I ripped open the wrapping and as I chewed the first bite of it, I was suddenly hit with pain in one of my canines. "What...?" I mumbled. "Huh?" Jean asked. "I have... Hmm..." I reached into my mouth and bit down on my finger, gently, to feel which tooth was hurting. "What the Hell are you doing, Marco?" Jean asked. I pressed down on the tooth and flinched. Not good. I pulled my finger out of my mouth and sighed, "My tooth is hurting pretty bad..." I said. "Really?" Jean asked. I nodded and took another bite of the bar. "You gonna get it checked out?" I shrugged, "I dont know... I dont have any health insurance or a regular dentist. I cant pay for it." It was quiet. "I'll take you to get it checked out." Jean said, "I mean, if it's a cavity then-" "Jean... No." Jean sighed, "Just let me, please? I want you to be alright. Plus, I'm not kissing you if you have a cavity." I laughed softly, "It isn't contagious, Jean!" Jean laughed, too. "Jean. I dont like burdening you." "If it was a burden, I wouldnt offer." He responded. "No, Jean." "Yes, Jean." He said. I smirked, "Seriously, no." "Seriously, yes." "Stop!" I exclaimed. He was quiet. Then he said, "I love you." I let out an exhasperated sigh with a groan at the end of it. "I love you, too, weirdo." "Is that a yes?" He asked. I closed my eyes, leaning my head back, and nodded. "Yeah!" He exclaimed. I couldnt help but smile a bit.

So Jean schedualed an appointment for the next day and he let me get a full checkup and cleaning. Which I really appreciated. The dentist said I didnt have a cavity but that my wisdom teeth were going to be an issue if I didnt get them out soon. Also, the dental assistant who lead me back said something to me that nearly made me punch her. I tried not to sound bitter for the rest of the time she was there but it was so difficult. As Jean and I left the building, I explained to him what they had said. He was glad I didnt have a cavity but he wasnt too excited about the wisdom teeth. "You didnt get them removed before?" He asked, "Didnt you have braces?" I nodded, "Braces. And I still wear a retainer. The orthadontist said that my wisdome teeth were coming in when I got my braces off my Junior year of high school. But we just never did anything about it. They never really came in and pushed the rest of my teeth aside but... I guess I should get them removed?" Jean nodded as he got into the driver's seat of the car and I got into the passenger's seat, "Yeah. We'll get 'em out." He started up the car and backed out of the parking space, driving out of the lot. "Okay... If you're sure you want to waste your money on me." I said. Jean smirked, "I love you." He said. I sighed, "Yeah. I love you, too." We were quiet. Then I remembered the dental assistant. "Oh my God! Jean!" I exclaimed. Jean jumped slightly, "What?" "The fucking dental assistant! Do you know what she had the nerve to say to me?!" Jean was quiet then he narrowed his eyebrows, "What did she say? Was it something ignorant?" "Yes." I said. "What?" Jean asked. "Okay. So. I'm wearing these new shoes that Mikasa bought me, right? So, she sees them. And she goes, 'Oh! Is that Iron Man?' And now I'm excited because she knows what it is-" I heard Jean groan but his lips were twitching, "-Shh! Jean let me rant! So. I was like, 'Yes! It is!' And you know what the fuck she said to me?" Jean grinned, rolling his eyes, "What did she say, Marco?" He asked. "She said, 'Go Guardians of the Galaxy!'" Jean immediately cracked up. "It isnt funny!" I yelled, " I almost beat this bitch up!" "O-Oh my G-God!" Jean gasped. "I was literally going to slap her!" I exclaimed. "T-That's really f-fucking s-stupid!" He yelled, trying to compose himself, "I agree with you Marco! I probably would have punched her if she said that to me! Even if I'm not a diehard fan like you!" "I'm justified in wanting to beat her up, then?!" I exclaimed. "Yes! Yes you are." Jean reassured, lacing his fingers with mine. "Good!" Jean squeezed my hand and I smiled. "I kind of waited for a second after she said that to see if she was going ro be like, 'Bah! I'm just kidding!' But she didnt say that... She didnt say it, Jean..." I groaned. Jean laughed.

The next day had a hectic morning. Jean woke me up pretty late. I'd slept through my alarm. There was fifteen minutes left to get to class and since Jean was already dressed, I let him know that he could go ahead to class because I didnt want him to be late. So he told me to hurry up, then he hurried out, himself. I quickly got dressed and brushed my hair and teeth. I grabbed my sketchbook, room key, and phone, then pulled on my Uggs. Of course, today was the day I couldnt find my hoodie so I just grabbed some random black one that I saw and pulled it on as I left the room. I locked the door then went quickly to Pixis' class. I probably should I have listened last week when he was explaining when we would be doing life drawings. I was already a few minutes late so they, obviously, would have started without me. But when I opened the door, I was not prepared for the amount of butt I saw. It was terrifying. I was mortified and I knew my entire face turned red. Everyone immediately started laughing at my expression. I locked eyes with Jean and he was just grinning at me. I narrowed my eyebrows at him and he just raised one of his own. I sighed and saw that the two spaces next to Jean were taken by Armin and Connie. The only empty seat was between Annie and Mikasa on the opposite side of the room to where Jean was seated. So I took a seat there. Annie patted my shoulder as everyone started drawing again. I opened my sketchbook. Darn. If I'd known the model would be here, I'd have brought charcoal. I could only hope that she would be here tomorrow, as well. She was very pretty but I still felt just as awkward as when I had to do this my foundation year at Mattheius. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I pulled it out. Jean. He'd texted me, "Maybe I shouldve warned you" I smirked at him from across the room and he just half grinned back. I texted him with, "Ya think? I was horrified. My innocence, Jean." He texted me back a few seconds later, "Whatever" I looked at him and he stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth at me. I smiled. He was cute. Mikasa suddenly poked my side and I jumped a bit, hearing Jean's slight chuckle, but choosing to ignore it. I looked at Mikasa and she said, "Do you want us to scooch down so Jean can sit here? He can sit next to you." "No no. It's fine." I replied, smiling and waving a hand dismissively. Everyone was already working on their drawings. And I didnt want to mess up Jean and Mikasa's perspective of the model. So I just stayed in place. She shrugged in response and continued with her drawing. I sighed softly, going back to my own. I got up and went to the bathroom at around the time when hour one of two was ending. While I was washing my hands, Jean came in. I smiled, "Hey." I said. He immediately wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close to him. I smiled a bit and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I dont like not sitting next to you." Jean said. I laughed softly, "Now who's needy?" He smirked and kissed me softly for a breif moment. I smiled wide, feeling my face get hot. "You're a dork." He said, but he was pink and was smiling, too. "I love you..." I said. "Love you, too." He responded. "How's the drawing coming along?" I asked. He shrugged, his smile fading, "Alright, I guess. I always think I'm shit so..." I smirked, kissing his cheek, "You're a great artist, Jean..." His smile came back slightly. "I just dont get why we're doing this. I mean, naked lady. Cool. All for it. But-" I laughed at that, "-we did this foundation year so why are we doing it again?" I shrugged, chuckling softly, "Maybe Pixis wants to see where we are as far as anatomy is concerned?" I guessed. "I dont know." Jean said, "Whatever. It doesnt matter, I guess." "I'm sure we'll find out why soon." I reassured. He half smiled and I leaned down to nuzzle my nose against his'. He smiled and nuzzled back, much to my surprise. "You always do this." He pointed out when I settled my face into the crook of his neck. I shrugged, "I like being close... You smell good..." I felt him take a breath. Then we heard the bathroom door start to open so the two of us pulled away quickly. I doubted that person would care to see PDA. It was just Connie, though, who stared at us for a few moments before giving us a suspicious look, gesturing to us that he was watching us, then going into one of the stalls. Jean and I laughed, "We'd better get back in there..." I said. Jean groaned. "Yeah guys! Quit smooching in the bathroom!" Connie yelled. "You're just jealous!" Jean exclaimed. "I have a girlfriend! I am not jealous!" Connie exclaimed right back. "But you cant kiss her in the boys' bathroom!" "What are you? Five?! Nobody cares if I bring her into the boys room, Jean!" Jean laughed, yelling, "Stop talking and poop!" Connie laughed as the two of us headed out, Jean holding the door for me. "Hey. You're wearing my Pink Floyd hoodie." Jean said when we got out into the hallway. Was I? I felt my face get very hot. "I-I am? I just grabbed the first random hoodie I saw. I couldnt find my coat..." I turned to him, "Sorry. Do you want it back?" I asked, starting to take off the hoodie, "Here-" "No no no!" Jean exclaimed. I stilled then. Jean smirked and stepped over to me, pulling the jacket back around the shoulder it was already off of. I put my arm into the sleeve, the way it was before. "It's fine..." Jean said, "It's kind of nice... It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy." I laughed, still feeling very flushed. He grabbed my hands, pulling me closer to him. I smiled and kissed him softly, lacing my fingers with his'. Suddenly, from behind me I heard an unfamiliar voice say, "Fags." Jean immediately pulled away from me and started going for the two guys who were walking past us. I grabbed him, "Jean no." The guys just scoffed at Jean and headed to the stairwell. As they did, Jean yelled, "Fags are cigarettes!" I laughed softly, "Jean. Calm down." I pulled him closer to me. He sighed and let himself be held. "Ugh... Fucking bigots..." "I know Jean. Just relax." I said, nuzzling my face into his hair, "You cant beat up every bigot in the world..." "Sure I can. If you can help everyone on Earth, I can beat up all the bigots." I smirked and kissed the top of his head, "I love you so much, Jean. Come on. Let's go back to class. I want to see your drawing." Jean groaned and the two of us went back in.

We drew the same woman for the rest of the week from different angles. And the next week, we drew a guy for all five days. There was only another week left after we drew the guy until Spring Break. But it meant that Jean and I could sit next to eachother, which I was glad for. Because I had missed his music. Pink Floyd and New Politics were starting to grow on me. Jean and I were rarely apart nowadays. It may or may not have been a good thing. But we barely ever fought. So I didnt think it was a bad thing to be with him a lot of the time. It wasnt hurting our relationship so I was okay with it. On Monday, March 9th, we were told to pick between the guy and the girl. And sculpt what we'd drawn. I thoight this was weird since our class taught by Gunther was usually the clay class. But okay... I would still do the assignment. Jean had caught a cold on Sunday, which was great. So he wasnt feeling too great. He still came to class, however. We were sitting in the hallway, sculpting, with Eren's group and Connie and Sasha. Jean was carrying a blanket around, which I thought was sooo cute. He currently was wearing sweats and a long sleeved black shirt. He was also wearing the Uggs I'd bought him! And his grey beanie. Plus he had the blanket wrapped around himself. I couldnt get over how adorable he looked. I hadnt expressed it to him because he felt bad and I knew he wouldnt appreciate it. "Dont get your snot on my lady, dude." Connie said when Jean sneezed. Jean grimaced at him then promptly sneezed seven more times. "Ugh..." Jean said. "Need some tissues?" I asked. He nodded and I went into the room, deciding to grab the whole box, then came back out and sat, handing Jean the box. He immediately used three tissues and Eren pushed the hallway trashcan to him. Jean tossed his dirty tissues in there and kept scultping. "I'm sorry you got sick, Jean." Armin said. Jean shrugged, "It happens..." "Must be from the weather but why only you?" Connie asked. Jean cleared his throat and shrugged again. "Make me sick, to, weather Gods!" Connie yelled. Jean smirked and I leaned over to my boyfriend and kissed his cheek. He smiled slightly and pulled his hat down farther. I scooted closer to him so our shoulders were touching. I pulled my sculpture over and continued to work on it. "You dont want to be near me." He said. I sighed, "Jean, I dont really care if I get sick." "Alright." Jean responded, "Not my fault if you get it." Suddenly, there were heels clacking down the hallway and we all looked to see who it was. Petra and Levi. Followed by, what looked like, thirty highschool students. "This is the junior studio arts class." Petra was saying, "Along with some of our students." Oh God. I felt realy nervous. Then Levi stopped in front of Jean and I. Which caused Petra and the kids to stop. I almost died of nerves when Levi leaned down towards Jean with a grimace, "Are you sick, Kirchstein?" He asked. "Ah. Yes, sir." Jean replied. "That's extremely disgusting. You should be in your room, away from others." "It's just a cold, sir." "I didn't ask." Levi replied, starting to walk again. Petra and the students coninued moving, as well. I was even more nervous now as the kids stared at us. I held my breath. And before I could think, as the last kid turned away, I blurted out loudly, "I love school!" And everyone in the group in the hallway died of laughter. I just made a disgruntled, nervous sound. Jean started having a coughing fit in the middle of his laughing session, "Oh-my-fuc-ucking God, M-arco!" He yelled. I pinched the bridge of my nose. I was a massive idiot. "WHY DID YOU SAY THAT?!" Connie screamed at me, cracking up. I laughed, too, slightly, feeling flushed, "I dont know!" I exclaimed. Then I started fake crying. "Marco you need to relax!" Armin exclaimed. "Ehhh..." I said. Suddenly, Jean threw his arms around me, hugging me very tightly, "I love you so fucking much!" He exclaimed. I laughed and hugged him back. "You're suck a massive fucking dork!" He continued, putting his face into the crook of my neck. I noticed that Sasha was, literally, crying with laughter. "Oh my God, you guys!" I said past Jean, "It wasn't that funny!" "Yes it was, dude!" Eren yelled back at me through his own tears of laughter. "I wish that had been recorded." Mikasa said. "Security cameras are a thing." Armin pointed out, gesturing to the camera in the hallway that was in the corner of the ceiling. "Oh my God. Whoever is watching that must think we're all insane." Connie said. "Well. Considering what they've already had to watch from us in the past two, almost three, years at this place, they probably already think we're insane." Armin said, laughing softly. "Jean... Please let go now." I said. "No. I'm staying here forever. I just love you that much." He responded. I groaned, "But how am I supposed to get any work done?" "You dont." I laughed softly, nuzzling his hair with my nose. "Ew. PDA!" Sasha yelled. Jean flipped the bird in Sasha's direction and I gently reached my hand over to his, lacing my fingers with his so he would stop that. Then I pulled his arm back in with my own. Sasha just laughed. "You guys dont mind, right?" I asked, "I dont think he's letting go anytime soon." "Naw. Whatever." Eren said. "Lies." Jean said, "If you really wanted me off, you could have already pushed me. But you dont mind." I smirked, "I will push you off if you dont hush." Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my neck and I jerked back, "Ow! Jean! Did you just bite me?! Now I'm definately getting sick!" Connie and Eren both cracked up. I heard Jean laughing, as well, and I definately felt it. I sighed, "You're such a pain in the neck." "That was a bad joke, Marco." Jean said. "It started as being a serious sentence, I swear. And I'm allowed to make a bad joke. You just bit me!" Jean laughed, "Yeah but you're still not going to push me off. So I'm good." I sighed. He was right. I was too nice.

I was pretty excited to see where Jean lived over the break. Jean wasnt excited at all. Whenever I mentioned it, he just groaned and sighed. We'd decided that I would stay at his house for the first half of the week, then we would fly to Montana from New York on Wednesday and spend the rest of the time until Sunday, with my family. Jean didnt want to spend the whole break at his own house unless I was there. But I couldnt stay for the entire time. So he just planned to come with me to my home. On Wednesday, Pixis explained to us that he was expecting us to leave our peices at school in our studios. And then he gave us another assignment. 50 small sketches. 20 had to be landscapes outside. And the other 30 were just other things that were sitting outside. Bushes, trees, puddles, etc. But everything had to be drawn outside. We couldnt take pictures then draw from the pictures later on. I decided to start the assignment before the break actually started. Jean refused to do that because he still felt bad and he didnt want to sit out in the cold. I almost convinced him by telling him that he could huddle with me the whole time but he still refused, in the end. So Eren, Connie, Reiner and I hung out for a while as we started the sketches. We were sitting in the courtyard. "So why didnt Sasha want to come?" Eren asked Connie. "She doesnt want to sit in the cold before she actually has to." "Yep. Bert and Annie said the same thing." Reiner chimed in. I smiled a bit, "Same with Jean. Except he's sick. So that adds to it." "So..." Connie started, "About you and Jean." I looked at him and he was grinning at me with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah?" I asked, raising an eyebrow of my own. "Have you two done the do yet?" Reiner laughed loudly and I felt my face flush deep red, "N-No! Connie! My goodness! That's kind of personal!" "Y'know Jean's a virgin?" He asked. Now my face was even more hot. Reiner was dying of laughter. I spluttered, covering my mouth. "Why are you telling me this? I would have found out eventually!" "Yeah but it's more convenient this way!" Connie exclaimed. "Oh my God please stop..." I begged. Connie laughed. "Wait. Marco, are you a virgin?" Eren suddenly asked. I screamed internally, "Why does it matter?" I asked. Connie, Eren, and Reiner looked at eachother then looked back at me, "You arent, are you?" Connie asked, poking my shoulder with a smirk. I sighed, "No. I'm not." "But which way, is the real question." Reiner said. The three of them stared at me, waiting for an answer. My eyes widened. These guys... They knew more than I thought they did. "Um... What exactly do you mean by that?" I asked. The three of them sighed in frustration. "Marco! You know!" Eren exclaimed. I fake cried, "I dont wanna say..." "Are you no longer a virgin on top or on bottom, Marco?" Reiner exclaimed. "Yes!" I yelled, without thinking and just giving up. They would keep pestering me so I just figured I should say. "Both!" Connie yelled to Eren and Reiner. The three of them cheered and whistled and my face just felt like it was going to be burning forever now... My phone started ringing. I pulled it out of my pocket. Jean. I answered with, "Jean help. Our friends are pestering me about sex." The three idiots next to me laughed. "What?" Jean asked. "You heard me..." I said. Jean laughed over the phone, "What have they told you?" "Things, Jean. Things." Jean was silent, "Should I ask?" "No. It's okay. What's up?" I asked him. He had called me for something, most likely. "I'm bored and I miss you. Come back." He said. I laughed, "Jean! I am trying to do an assignment!" "Clearly not if you're talking about sex!" I laughed softly, "Okay... I'll be back in a few minutes, alright?" "Okay." Jean replied. "I love you." He said. "I love you, too." I reaponded. And the three next to me started whistling as I hung up. I rolled my eyes, "Jeez... You three..." "So you're leaving us for the sick horse?" Reiner asked. I laughed softly, "Yes. I am. After I finish this sketch." It was quiet then Connie said, "Are you going to do the do?" "Connie!" I exclaimed. The three of them laughed and I shook my head, smiling slightly. When I finished my sketch, I said goodbye to them and as I walked away, I heard Reiner yell, "Make sure to use protection! Just as a general principle!" "Hush!" I exclaimed over my shoulder. I made my way to the dorm building and headed to the room. When I got in, Jean was just lying in bed, his head on the side where your feet normally go. He was bundled up in blankets(I noticed that he'd taken the blankes that were on my bed. It was bare except for my pillow)and he was lying on his stomach, watching something on his laptop. I immediately recognized Thor's voice and I did a flying leap jump straight onto Jean's back. Who let out a surprised yelp and a groan, "Get off of meee!" He exclaimed. I just bounced, "You're watching the Avengers!" I yelled. "Jesus Christ! Calm the fuck down!" "Never!" I exclaimed, getting off of him. "Scoot over!" "Ugghh..." He responded, scooting over. I got into the covers with him and he was flushing pink. I smirked and kissed his cheek, "I love you..." I said. He smirked softly then turned his attention back to the movie playing. I screamed when Hawkeye came on screen and Jean nearly punched me for that. I just lughed and hugged him close. I dont remember when exactly I fell aleep. But I know it was somewhere around the end of the movie. I think Tony was getting ready to go into the vortex. Either way, I woke up, what I assumed to be, quite a few hours later. Jean's laptop was asleep, along with himself. He was snoring, which I always thought was adorable. It was dark out. I smiled softly and pushed his hair out of his face gently. He was so handsome. I was completely and utterly smitten by him. We were dating now and I couldnt be happier. I was ready to take on every challenge his family threw at me. And now since things were clearing up for me in my life, I could focus on Jean and give my full attention to him, which is what he deserved. I closed his laptop, placing it on the floor, then I grabbed his pillow which was sitting against the headboard. I lifted Jean's head slightly, sliding the pillow underneath. I wasnt planning on leaving this bed, though. The nerd had all my blankets. I lied my head down on the empty side of his pillow and pulled him close to me, drifting off.

Instead of my alarm going off at five as usual, I was awoken by Jean's voice, telling me to wake up. It was tempting to see his face, but I was exhausted. So I just covered my face with blankets and curled up. I heard him chuckle and felt cool air hit my face. I had thought that he'd just removed the blanket that was over my face and my suspicions were confirmed when chapped lips pressed against mine. I couldnt help but smile when he pulled away. I rubbed my eyes, cracking one open slightly. He was smiling right back at me, "Get up." He said, patting my leg and getting up, himself. I groaned, attempting to roll over, but realizing too late that we had slept in a single bed together when I hit the floor. I heard Jean crack up and say, "You okay? Oh my fucking God!" I laughed, too, standing up and exclaiming, "Well I'm awake now!" I picked the covers up that had fallen onto the floor and put them back on the bed. Jean picked up his laptop and placed it on the bed, "Did this fall or something?" "No. I put it down there. I woke up and did that." I said. "Well that explains this." He said, poking his pillow. I nodded, smiling. He suddenly grabbed my hands, pulling me close to him, and wrapping his arms around my waist. I placed my hands on his shoulders and rested my forehead against his'. "How have you not gotton sick yet?" He asked. I shrugged, kissing him for a breif moment, "Good immune system?" Jean rolled his eyes, "You're so fucking annoying..." I laughed softly, "Hey!" "Hey is for horses." He said. "Want me to get you some?" I asked. Jean frowned and pulled away from me, going into the restroom. "Oh come on! I was just jokiiinnngg!" I exclaimed. "No!" He yelled, closing the bathroom door. I laughed, getting changed into something other than what I wore the day before. Jean came out of the bathroom soon enough and glared at me as I passed him to go in. I pouted back then went to brush my teeth and hair. When I came out, he was dressed. "Are you feeling any better?" I asked. He shrugged in response, "I feel alright." "Must be... Hayfever." I said. He raised a hand in a threatening way and I laughed, jerking away from him. "Goddamn! You are not my boyfriend anymore!" "I love you!" I exclaimed, pulling him close to me. He pushed againt me, "Leggo!" He yelled. "Where did that horse thing even come from?" I asked, "You dont look like a horse to me." He smirked, "Eren just started saying it to piss me off. Connie keeps telling me that I do look kind of like a horse, though, which I dont appreciate." I shrugged, "I dont see it. But. if you do look like a horse to a lot of people, it's okay, because I like horses." Jean laughed, "Right." We ate breakfast together then headed to class. We ended up sitting in the hall again. My sculpture was really starting to frustrate me. I kept making mistakes. Not to mention the thing had a ton of air bubbles in it which meant it would probably explode in the kiln. It was silent before I said, "I'm going to destroy it." Everyone looked at me. "Dont. It's awesome, Marco." Jean said. "Urrgg... But I hate it. Besides, it's going to explode..." "How do you know?" Connie asked. "Dont destroy it." Armin said. I sighed. Everyone went back to what they were doing after a few more silent moments. I tried to make it the way I wanted it but... It wasnt getting anywhere. So. I squshed it with my elbow. I heard everyone gasp. "Marco. C'mon, dude." Jean sighed, "What the Hell? It was great." "Nah. It was shit." I replied, breaking up the clay into smaller peices so I could knead it easier. "So you're going to start over completely?" I nodded. "Isnt that going to take a while?" He asked. "No. Now that I know what I need to do exactly, this should go quicker than before." Jean just shook his head, "I dont even know how you can just throw away peices like that..." I smirked, leaning over and kissing his cheek, "I can do that because I know I can do better." I said. Jean just rolled his eyes, "Whatever, man." "What are you guys doing for Spring Break?" Sasha asked us. I smiled at her, "I'm staying with Jean for the firt half of the week. Then we're flying to my house for the rest of the week." "Wait." Connie said, "You're stsaying with Jean at his parent's house?" I nodded in response. Connie looked at Jean with a raised eyebrow. I looked at Jean and he was staring blankly at Connie. "Isnt that kind of dangerous?" Connie asked. "I dont care." Jean responded. I smiled at his bravery. "My dad has to find out at some point. It's fine. Besides, New York is a good place to get some of those sketches done." Everyone was silent then Mikasa suddenly stood up and came over to Jean. I didnt know what was happening until she leaned down and hugged Jean. He spluttered and hugged her back. "What the Hell is happening?" He exclaimed. "I'm proud of you, Jean." Mikasa said, "That's what's happening." Oh man... If I was proud... I couldnt even imagine how proud his highschool friends must be. I sighed, smiling a bit and scootching over as everyone in the hall piled in on the hug. Everyone eventually pulled away and went back to their seats. Jean was very flustered and I just smiled at him, "You have clay-prints all over you now." Jean smirked at me, going back to molding.

On Saturday, we woke up very early and packed up Jean's car with our essentials. We then started the long drive to New York. We alternated as far as driving was concerned. Which I appreciated. Because driving was something I still wasnt completely comfortable doing. When the A Team came on the radio at one point, I nearly made Jean have a wreck because of how loud I was singing along. He didnt really appreciate that. But I thought it was funny. I fell asleep at around 4. And he didnt wake me up to make me drive. But he did wake me up to let me know that we were there. "Eek!" I exclaimed, pulling down the sun sheild and opening the mirror on the inside, wiping the sleep from my eyes. Jean just laughed, "Calm the fuck down! My God." I smirked, fixing my hair and closing the mirror and sun sheild again. "You dont have to get the luggage. It'll get taken care of." Jean said as he got out of the car, shoving the keys in his pocket and closing the door behind him. I sighed. This would be difficult for me. I got out as well, closing the door behind me. And was immediately taken aback by the giant, beautiful house in front of me. I thought it was breathtaking but, I was probably going to die from lack of breath because of it. Jean grabbed my hand and lead me to the front door as some young ladies came out past us to the car. I didnt like this. "Jean this is weird." I said. He smirked at me, "Relax." The house was even bigger on the inside. With a large front room and a spiral staircase. I saw that past the front room full of furniture, there was a dining room. And to the right of the dining room were more closed doors that I didnt know where they led. It was the same on the left. "Eehhh..." Jean just squeezed my hand and I recognized his mother sitting on one of the front room couches. She stood up immediately, "Jeanbo!" She exclaimed. Jeanbo... That was so cute... She came over and hugged us both at the same time, "And Marco! Hi, honey!" I smiled, "Hi Mrs. Kirchstein." I then noticed a man sitting in one the front room chairs. He had dirty blonde hair, golden colored eyes behind a pair of glasses, and was made of triangles, just the same as Jean. Same nose, same jaw, same eyes. He was taller, however. And looked a lot more intimidating with frown lines and narrowed eyebrows. He hadnt looked up from the book he was reading. "Léon!" Jean's mom exclaimed, "Come greet your son and his-" she cut off, looking at Jean for an answer. He gave her a look and let my hand go, then gave me an apologetic expression. I smiled, understanding. He would tell him. Just not right now. "-his friend from school!" She finished. "Léon" got up, closing his book after reading a last sentence. He made his way over and patted his son on the should. I felt so nervous. I might have had a heart attack if Jean's dad suddenly said "boo!" He turned his attention to me after greeting Jean, looking me up and down. I smiled nervously. The ladies who had grabbed our luggage, passed us and headed upstairs. Jean's dad held a hand out to me, "Who are you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. I shook his hand, trying my best to use a hard grip. "I'm Marco Bodt. I'm one of his college friends." He nodded, letting go. "Your son is a very talented man." I said. Jean's dad scoffed and headed back over to the chair, picking up his book, then heading through one of the random doors. I sighed with relief that he was gone. Jean laughed, kissing my cheek. His mom laughed, too. "Oh God I couldnt tell if he approved of me or not." I said. Jean smirked, "It doesnt matter. Hey, as bad as it sounds, he's not going to approve of you after I tell him what's really going on." That was very true. I nodded. "Oh, you two will be fine. I'll make sure of it. He'll come around sometime, trust me." Jean's mom said. "You keep saying that." Jean said to her, "But he doesnt seem like he's budging at all." "He is a stubborn man, Jean." She said. He rolled his eyes, "He's not going to budge. And I dont care." Jean's mom sighed and hugged him again. He hugged her back. Then he pulled away. "Go on to bed, guys. You must be exhausted from the drive." I smiled, "Thank you." I said. Jean and I headed upstairs and one of the ladies stopped us, smiling politely. "I'll lead you to your room Mr. Bodt." She said. I gave Jean a nervous look and he laughed a bit, "Go on. I'll see you in the morning, you nerd." I sighed, "Okay..." I then followed the girl down another hall and when I looked back, Jean had gone. "Did you have a nice trip?" The lady asked me. "Ah. Yes, ma'am." She giggled a bit, "No need for the 'ma'am', sir." I smiled a bit, "Well. No need for the 'sir', ma'am." She laughed softly and smiled back at me. We were quiet. "This is a lovely house." "Ah yeah. It's beautiful. But you should compliment Mr. Kirchstein on the house. I cant accept the compliment." She said. "Why not?" "It isnt my house." "You live here dont you?" I asked. "Well... I do. But..." "Oh come on. You keep the house in order and it's gorgeous." I said. She was quiet, "Thank you, Mr. Bodt." She said. "Marco." I corrected her. "Leia." She said. "As in Star Wars Leia?" I asked. She nodded, her brown hair bouncing in the bun it was being held in. "Well, that's great. I really love that name." I said. She flushed pink and laughed softly, "Thank you." I smiled. "Here you are." She said, stopping in front of a door and opening it. The room was huge and had a king sized bed in it. Plus a huge window and dresser. And my luggage was sitting in there. "Thank you." I said. "Well, thank you, Marco." She touched my shoulder and smiled then headed off in the other direction. I smiled softly back and closed the door behind me, sighing. I was terrified of this place. This room was as big as the living room at my house. It was ridiculous.

I went to bed soon after that. I was extremely exhausted. I woke up at around ten am to knocking on my door. I yawned, rubbing my eyes and sitting up. "Who is it?" I asked. "It's me." I heard Jean respond. I smiled softly, "Come in." The door opened and Jean smiled at me, "Hey." He said. "Hi." He closed the door behind him after coming in and walked over to the bed, "Did you sleep alright?" I nodded, "This bed is so comfy. I fell asleep immediately." "The maids keep talking about you." Jean said. I coughed softly, "What? Why?" Jean shrugged, "I dont know. It's kind of weird." I coughed more, sniffing. Jean groaned, "Dont fucking tell me you got my cold." I was quiet, "No. No. I dont think that's what this is. Probably just the change in environment." Jean was silent as well, "That's not a thing. But okay. Whatever you say. Anyways. I came to get you for breakfast. My parents want to eat with us." Oh man. I nodded, sighing shakily, "Right. Okay." I got out of bed and went over to my suitcase, rooting around in it for a shirt(I was just too exhausted to bother wearing a shirt to bed). I pulled one of my v-necks out when Jean suddenly hugged me around my waist from behind, resting his head on my shoulder. I smiled softly, leaning my head against his'. "Hey... Let go. I have to get dressed." "No thanks... You're warm..." He said. I laughed softly, feeling flushed, "I know. Now come on." He groaned, "No." We were quiet and then I sighed, opening my mouth to tell him to get off, again, when he cut me off with, "You have so many fucking freckles. Jesus Christ." I laughed softly, "I know. It's... Yeah." At that, I pulled away from him, tossing my shirt onto the bed and going back into my bag for my deodorant. "'It's... Yeah'?" He asked. I looked at him and he had an eyebrow raised. "Well... Yeah." I responded, using my deodorant then putting it on the dresser in the room. But when I tried to get past Jean to the bed so I could grab my shirt, he refused to let me pass. "Stop saying yeah." He said. I sighed, "Jean. Move." He shook his head, "Do you not like your freckles or something?" He asked. "I need to get some clothes on, Jean." "No. Answer my question." "No. I dont really like them. I try to ignore them. Being bullied for having them doesnt really help your self-image." I said. Jean just stared at me. I raised my eyebrows and tried to push past him but he just hugged me. I smirked, "Jean." "No." He responded, looking at me with a serious expression, "Your freckles are adorable." My face got hot. "Stop. Let me put on a shirt. Your parents are waiting for us." Jean sighed, letting me go, finally, and I walked past him, grabbing my shirt and pulling it on. As I went over to grab a pair of pants, Jean looked through the drawers in the dresser. I settled on khakis. I was a nerd. Then I brushed my hair. Just when I was about to put the brush down, Jean came over and messed up my hair again. "Jean!" I exclaimed, turning to him. He did a flying leap jump onto the bed. I sighed, shaking my head, then turning back around and fixing my hair again, "Why are you being such a pain today?" "Hey! What?" He said. "You heard me." I said, grabbing my toothbrush and toothpaste and leaving the room. I was about halfway down the hall when Jean caught up with me. I went into the bathroom and closed the door on him. "But Marcoooo..." I laughed, "What the heck are you going to do in here? I have to use the restroom!" "Marcoo!" He exclaimed. "Get out of here. I cant pee if you're standing right out there. Go downstairs. I'll be there soon." I heard Jean sigh then his footsteps walking away. I used the restroom and brushed my teeth then I went to put my toothbrush and toothpaste back into my bag(I didnt want to just start leaving my things all over the place). The only shoes I had were either flip flops, Uggs, or my Iron Man vans. This was going to be an issue. I probably should have brought some other shoes. I sighed, pulling on my Uggs. Then I grabbed my phone, shoving it in my pocket, and heading down the steps. As I turned into the front room, Jean was right there. I almost screamed but I settled on a surprised squeak. He grinned, hugging me close. I smirked, hugging him back, "You're an odd one, Jean Kirchstein." I said. He grinned at me then kissed me softly for a breif moment. He smelled like sunscreen? "Why...?" I sniffed his neck, "You smell like sunscreen. What the heck?" Jean laughed softly, "Oh yeah. My mom was like-" He put on his old lady voice, "-'Are you going out today?' And I was like, 'Probably. I want to show Marco around.' And then she put sunscreen in my face." I looked out the window at the cloudly sky and raised an eyebrow at Jean. He just shrugged, "I dont know. She's weird, dude." "Okay." I laughed. "Come on." He said, pulling away from me and heading into the dining area. I followed him into the room and took a seat next to Jean. Jean's father was on the end of table and his mother was sitting across from us. As we began eating, Jean's father suddenly asked, "Where are you from, Marco?" I looked up and he had his eyes locked on me. I smiled nervously and replied, "Montana." "Montana?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, "Wow. You must not be used to this." I laughed softly, "No. Not really." "What do you major in?" He asked. "I'm going to be a ceramics major." I replied. He raised an eyebrow. "Erm. Pottery. And sculpting." "Ah." He said, the confusion leaving his face. "Jean was saying that Marco used to be at Mattheius in Texas, Léon." Jean's mom mentioned. His dad just nodded slightly, "I've heard of it. Jean. How id your Graphic Design going?" "About that..." He said, and his dad looked at him. "I'm going to major in illustration." Yes! Yes! I realized after my being extremely proud of Jean, that there was a very uncomfortable silence. Then Jean's dad said, "Well. I'm not paying for it. So I dont really care." "Well you asked." Jean shot back. There was no argument but Jean stopped eating then.


	30. Ten Steps at a Time CH 18 (Marco)

There was a ton of tension at breakfast but once we finished, Jean and I grabbed our assignment to do over the break, then we got into his car and started heading away from the house. I noticed that Jean gripped the wheel tightly with both hands. I gently pulled his right hand off of the wheel and entertwined my fingers with his'. "Relax... It's all okay..." "He pisses me off so much." Jean said between his teeth. "Come on..." I said, rubbing his hand with my thumb, "It'll all work out." Jean fake laughed, "Right. How would you know, Marco? Your family is perfect. They always support you." "Yes but I've been through pain, too. Freshman year of highschool. Sister kind of died near the end of the year, remember? Alcohol until the very beginning of the next school year?" Jean sighed, "Right. Right..." I smiled a bit, kissing the back of his hand. We were quiet. "How did you even fucking manage to get valedictorian?" He asked. I laughed softly, "I was responsible enough. She passed away at the end of May of my freshman year. After all the testing and things were over. I always came to school but I was also always tipsy. I got all of my summer work done. Then I realized at the end of summer that it was stupid so I made myself quit." Jean squeezed my hand and nodded. "I lost a ton of weight at that point..." I said, shaking my head. It was quiet then Jean sighed a bit, "Can I tell you something?" "Yeah." I said, "Anything." Jean sighed softly, "I was really... Planning on introducing you to my dad as my boyfriend but I... Mom did it and I didnt want her to be the one to tell him..." "That's okay." I reassured, "You didnt know." "I'll let him know soon." Jean said. I leaned over and kissed his cheek, "Take your time, hon." He just sighed. It was really nice here. I wasnt used to this kind of big city thing. It was slightly overwhelming but I was also really excited. We drew for at least four hours. Then Jean got a call. "Hello?" He said. We were sitting on a park bench. "Hey. Connie. What's up?" I looked over. "You're here? Dude. Come to the park... What the fuck do you mean 'which park'? The fucking one that we always went to-Oh now you know which park? Thanks so much, highschool friend. I'm glad you remember where we hung out for four fucking years." I smiled and Jean laughed at something Connie was saying back. "Come on. Is Eren here yet? Do you know? ... Oh okay. Well bring Sasha and get over here... Cool. See you soon, man." Then Jean hung up. "I love you." I said. Jean flushed and looked at me, "Where the Hell did that fucking come from?" "My heart." Jean rolled his eyes, "Shut the fuck up." I laughed softly and leaned over to him. His eyes were gorgeous. He looked at me and smirked softly, "... What?" He asked. I gently stroked my thumb over his cheekbone, "Your eyes are so pretty." I said. He spluttered and covered his eyes with a hand. I laughed, "Noo. I want to see them!" Jean shook his head, "Fuck off!" I chuckled softly and pulled him close to me. He moved his hand from his eyes and locked eyes with me. I smiled wide, "I love you..." He flushed pink and smiled softly back, "I love you, too, Marco." I leaned in and pressed my lips against chapped ones. He kissed me back. I pulled away after a few short moments but Jean kissed me again, placing a hand between my neck and jaw. As the kiss became more heated, I felt my face get hot. Jean was, I noticed, a very passionate kisser when he was more confident about it. Our lips made a soft noise when I pulled away. I kissed his cheek, "Maybe we shouldnt do this in public. People wont appreciate the PDA." Jean rolled his eyes, "Whatever." I smiled softly. It was a few minutes later when we saw a familiar short figure approaching with a taller one bouncing along side it. I waved my hand and both Connie and Sasha waved back. They came over to us quickly after noticing us. "Hey!" Connie exclaimed. "Shit you two look tired." Jean said. "Yeah." Sasha responded, "Driving all night makes you tired." Connie nodded in response. I laughed softly as Connie and Sasha took seats in front of us on the sidewalk to start on their own assignments. I smiled softly and Jean pulled Sasha's hair down to start braiding it. "Every time, Jean!" She exclaimed. He laughed, "Hey! I like hair, okay?" He exclaimed. "We all know, Jean." Connie said. "That's why Connie is my least favorite." Sasha and I laughed. "Hey!" Connie exclaimed, laughing, as well, "This is a fashion choice, okay?" "I'm glad you made it! I cant imagine you with hair anymore." Sasha said. "I dont think I can even begin to fathom Connie with hair." I said, "I think I'd die if I saw it." Connie laughed and Sasha patted his head. I smiled softly and also patted Connie's head. "Stoppp." Connie said. So, Jean, also patted his head. Connie suddenly reached up and started wildly karate chopping at our hands. We all pulled away, laughing. "Jesus! You're like children!" "Because children always touch your head?" I asked. Connie was quiet, "Shut up, Marco." I laughed. "So I told my dad that I'm majoring in Illustration." "You did?" Sasha exclaimed. "Yep." "What'd he say?" Connie asked. "He doesnt care, apparently." "Did he say that?" "Yep. He was like, 'I'm not paying for it so I dont care.'" I noticed that Jean didnt do a silly voice for his father... "I'm sorry, man." Connie said sincerely. Jean just sighed, "It's okay... Story of my life..." I rubbed his shoulder gently. I noticed how cleanly Jean was braiding. "Where did you learn to do that?" I asked. "I do this all the time to people with long hair. I guess I just learned over the years." He shrugged. "Jean is the best at braiding!" Sasha exclaimed, "He did all the girls' hair for prom at our highschool. All two of us." I laughed softly. "He was excited to touch Mikasa's hair." Connie chimed in. Jean rolled his eyes. "Did you have a thing for Mikasa?" I asked, "I dont know about that." Jean shrugged again, "I didnt really think it was all that important. I'm dating you now. And I had feelings for you not long after we became friends." "All duringg the summer, though," Connie said, "He was insane. He kept asking her out and I dont know why he never learned that she didnt want to date him." "Hey!" Jean exclaimed, "I know she wants me! Even now! So shut up!" I laughed. Connie pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm kidding." Jean said, "I realized that after I stopped crushing on her." "Thank God!" Sasha exclaimed, "I thought you were being serious!" Jean smirked and shook his head, "No. I'm not, Sasha." We drew for a couple more hours then we went seperate ways and Jean and I headed back to his car. "I'm glad mom hasnt brought out the baby photos. She always did that whenever I brought someone I was dating home." Jean said as we made our way back to his house. "Awww!" I exclaimed, imagining Jean as a baby, "I wanna see!" "No!" Jean exclaimed back. "I'll ask her!" I said. Jean groaned, "My life..." I laughed softly, leaning over and kissing Jean on the cheek, "It'll help me get to know you even better than I already do..." Jean sighed, "I know. I know it will..."

It worked out that I didnt even have to ask. All I had to do was come home. Jean's parents were in the front room when we walked into the room, his mother immediately called me over. I smiled at her and did so. Jean groaned and followed behind me. I sat next to her on the couch and Jean sat next to me. Sure enough, Jean's mom had a giant photo album in her lap. "Yaay!" I exclaimed. She laughed in response then opened to the first page. All the baby photos were adorable. He was so cute and I wanted to kiss his face but I couldnt. I noticed how chubby he used to be, even just as a child. He was overweight which made me think about his potential eating problems. Jean was sooo adorable, though. Jean didnt really appreciate this. He looked pretty embarassed and I wanted to lean over and reassure him in some way that it was okay and that I wasnt going to judge him but... His dad was in here. As his mother went through middle school and highschool, I became more and more worried. He just got skinnier and skinnier. She expressed some worry for him, as well. And Jean just dismissed it as his high motabolism. But that didnt make sense because he clearly didnt have a fast motabolism, judging by how large he was when he was very young. Now I had a reason to ask him about it, since I'd seen him as a child. So, that night, after I got dressed into my night clothes, I went to go find his room. I didnt really know where to look. There were so many rooms... I took a chance and opened one of the doors slightly. It was an office. So that wasnt right. I was scared that I was going to find something I didnt want to see and I closed the door and sighed. Just then, I saw Leia talking to another lady. I smiled and went over to her. "Leia." I said. The two girls looked at me and Leia flushed pink, "H-Hey, Marco!" Her friend smiled and patted her on the shoulder before heading away. "What is it that I can do for you, Marco?" She asked. I smiled, "Can you lead me to Jean's room? I need to talk to him." "Ah. Yes! Of course." She said, heading down the hallway. I walked next to her, "What are you doing up so late? It's eleven." I asked. "I could say the same to you, Marco." She said, "Going to see your friend in the middle of the night." Oh right... She didnt know. I thought I could tell her. But... I didnt want to tell anyone in Jean's house. This was his job, not mine. I laughed softly, "Yeah. You're right..." She stopped in front of a door, "Here it is." She knocked on the door. It was a few moments before the door opened. Jean looked pretty exhausted, but not like he'd just woken up. "Hey..." He said, lockinng his eyes on me. "Thanks, Leia." I said, smiling at her then heading into the room. "No problem." She replied, heading away. Jean closed the door and turned to me. His room was just as nice as the others except it didnt look as lived in as my own room had in Montana. There were no pictures or trophies or anything of sentimental value. There were a few vases and a large dresser, and a plant sitting in a pot in the corner of the room plus a few lamps scattered about the room and a fan with a larger light on it. The bed was kind sized, of course. And the closet stretched across the wall it was on. It was a sliding mirror door. "What'd you need?" Jean asked me. I sighed softly. I wondered if this was going to be bad. I wasnt trying to force him to tell me. But he hadnt tried to tell me once in the time we'd known eachother. I felt bad because Hitch told me to wait but this was getting slightly out of hand. "Uhm..." I started, "About those baby photos." Jean sighed. "I noticed that you went from slightly overweight to severely underweight in a short amount of time." Jean froze, "I mean, it was like, eigth grade you were slightly chubby. Then you just became thin in the middle of freshman year. Was everything okay? Your mom sounded like she was worried about you at that point." Jean just stared at me, "I felt pretty bad about my weight so I took control. That's all." He said. I was quiet, "No... But... Becoming that skinny in such a short amount of time isnt something that a diet cant do. Maybe a fast, but not a diet and exercise." I could tell that Jean was becoming nervous by the way he stopped looking me in the eye. "Jean..." I said, stepping over to him and cupping his face in my hands, "You know you can tell me anything... I wont judge you... I just want to help..." Jean suddenly wrapped his arms around me tightly. I hugged him back securely and he buried his face in my shoulder, "Now tell me what's happening, okay...?" I felt Jean take a shaky breath, "I just..." He started, "I've always felt bad about myself... Weight, cpersonality, skill... Everything... And I found that if I just stopped eating, I could be confident about one of those things because I thought it was healthy and good for you... So I just..." He broke off. This was a difficult subject, I knew it. But I had to know in order to help him. "Come on..." I said softly. "... I developed an eating disorder... I tried to get rid of it and was successful my freshman year of college... But I returned to my previous habits the summer before this year started... You have no idea how many times I've stepped on the scale and just cried. During Thanksgiving break, my mom made me see so many doctors. I have appointments every two weeks with a therapist." "Y-You do?" I asked. Woah. I didnt know that... "How did I not realize it...?" I asked. Jean sighed shakily, "I'm good at keeping secrets..." I pulled back to look at his face, sighing. "He's been helping me a lot. I have a calorie plan... That's what I'm looking at on my phone when we go out to eat... Did you already suspect it?" I nodded slightly, "The only reason why I became suspicious was because Gerald was being a dick and mentioned something about your weight to me." "That fucker..." Jean said. "I tried to ask Hitch about it, but she told me to wait for you to tell me..." I said, "I tried, Jean. Really, I did. But I was so friggin worried about you..." Jean nodded in understanding, tears starting to well up in his eyes. I sighed softly, stroking his cheekbone with my thumb, "I love you so much, Jean... You just tell me if you need anything... And I dont want you to keep anything from me, okay?" "I'm such a fucking pussy..." He said, wiping his eyes roughly with his first and taking a deep breath. I smiled softly, "You can cry, Jean... It's okay... I'm not going to judge you..." "How the fuck can you be so strong?!" He exclaimed. I laughed softly and shrugged, "I just... I dont know..." Jean sighed, "I wish I could do that..." "Jean... I know you want to be strong but... You arent... I mean, being strong comes with experience and... You seem like you've been a pretty sheltered child... This house is like a massive wall from the outside, even now I can feel that it is. I couldnt imagine living here for 18 years of my life." "17 for me." Jean corrected. I smiled softly, "Right... But... It's not bad to not be a strong person. You're stronger than a lot of people I know. I think it also has to do with personality..." Jean nodded, "You have a personality that just radiates leadership, Marco." "I know..." I said. "That's why people trust me with things that they shouldnt trust me with." "You just have one of those personalities." Jean said. "You do, too, though." I said. Jean grimaced and shook his head. I smiled and nodded back, "You do. It just isnt as obvious. But you can be a leader. A good leader. Because you know hor others feel." "Is that bad?" Jean asked. I laughed softly, shaking my head. "Is it bad that I have a strong leader type personality?" "I fucking hope not." Then he mumbled something that I didnt catch. "Hm?" I asked. "Nothing. Whatever." He replied. I smirked softly, "Tell meeeee!" I exclaimed. He laughed a bit, "No, dude! It's weird." "Jean. Didnt I just say not to keep anything from me?" "Yeah but it's not that important." He said, waving it off. I was suspicious but let it go, "Okay..." I said. Jean sighed, looking down, "Sorry for hiding it from you... I wanted you to think I was stronger than this..." I smiled softly, "Jean... I love you... No matter what your demons are... Okay...?" He locked eyes with me and half smiled.

I leaned in and kissed him gently at first. He kissed back, wrapping his arms around my neck and tangling his fingers into my hair. After a few moments, however, the kiss became more heated and I gently pushed his back against his door. "Mng..." He breathed into my mouth and I pulled away from the kiss, our lips making a soft smacking sound as they parted. I leaned in, speckling soft kisses along his neck. "M-Marco..." He said. "Hmm?" I hummed into his neck. "... I dont want to... Go too far..." He gulped. I looked at him, "I understand..." I said, "We dont have to do anything you dont want to do..." Jean grinned a bit, "I'm, uh... A virgin... So..." "Yeah... Connie told me." Jean sighed, "What the Hell, Connie?" I laughed softly. "I wanted you to find out from me and be like, 'What? How can someone so amazingly hot like you be a virgin, Jean?'" I laughed more, "Aww... I can still say that." I said, leaning in and nibbling on his neck gently. "Could you?" He asked quietly. "How can someone so amazingly hot like you be a virgin, Jean?" I asked. "I dont know." Jean replied. I laughed softly into his neck. "How far have you gotton with anyone else?" I asked, looking at him. "Not very far..." He said, "I mean... There's been stuff but... Nothing really serious..." I nodded, pecking him on the lips gently. "Whatever you want." I said. He half grinned slightly wickedly and I was suddenly horrified for my safety. "Oh God you're scaring me..." I said. Jean laughed and pulled me closer to him, kissing me in his usual passionate way. I smiled softly into the kiss and closed my eyes. Our tongues soon intertwined and I felt Jean's hands snake into my hair, pulling gently, so I moved away from the kiss. He pulled again, leaning my head back. His dry lips slid across my neck, and when his hands moved from my hair to the waistline of my night pants, I tilted my head forwards again, feeling very flushed. He gave me a smile and was clearly just as elated as I was. He started to pull on the knot that was tied on my pants and I tried to kiss him again. Abruptly, however, he pushed me back towards his bed. I smiled softly at the sudden action and obediently lied down on the soft matress. Jean crawled over me, sighing softly, the wind rustling my hair slightly. His eyes were practically sparkling. They were so lovely. "Did I ever tell you I have a thing for amber eyes...?" I asked. He smirked, "That's so specific, you idiot..." "Fine... I have a thing for your eyes." I corrected, "Happy?" "Well... I have a thing for you..." He responded and I grinned softly. "I hope you dont mind... I'm not exactly all that experienced..." He said, grinding a palm between my legs. "Hah..." I breathed, shaking my head, "I-It's okay..." "You're cute..." He mumbled. I smirked softly. Jean untied the knot holding my night pants up and pulled my shirt up slightly. "Shit..." He breathed, noticing my bellybutton peircing. I grinned slightly. "I didnt really... Take it into account earlier..." "That's okay... It's a pretty small peice of metal..." I said, "I'd have been surprised if you had even remembered to look there the past times my shirt has been off around you..." "Yeah... I forgot about it completely..." He said, leaning down, and kissing and licking along my stomach. I let out a shaky breath, feeling hot in all sorts of places. I felt his teeth pull on the hair leading down into my pants. "Jean..." I sighed. He locked eyes with me and slowly tugged down my trousers. I lifted my hips slightly to help. He pulled them to my knees and hummed softly at the bulge in my underwear becoming larger by the second. When he mouthed wetly at the fabric, I moaned quietly, gripping the sheets slightly. He pulled down the waistband of my breifs and my dick sprang free. I felt like I was going to die from nerves. I'd done this before... But you never know how someone is going to react to your body. Jean just half smiled, really sexily, which made the part that he was now reaching for, twitch. He wrapped his fingers around me, getting a firm grip, before flicking his wrist. I groaned and leaned my head back, fisting the sheets tighter. "God you're hot..." Jean breathed. I chuckled softly, but was cut off by Jean's firm strokes. They were slow, but so good. I didnt want to be too loud so I bit my knuckle, closing my eyes, "Ahh..." I moaned quietly. Jean's thumb pressed against the slit, coaxing a louder groan out of me, which I followed with a bite of my knuckle. "Y-You sure you b-barely have any experience...?" I managed. Jean laughed softly, "I mean... I'm just doing what feels good to me..." "Mh... F-Feels amazing..." I said. His wet tongue slid under my foreskin, then, and I gasped softly as his hand moved faster. "Goddd..." I moaned. "You're cock's so amazing, Marco..." Jean sighed against my dick, "God you're so amazing..." My mind was blank... All I could think about was Jean and how great he was... I suddenly felt his warm, wet mouth, take in the first half of my cock that wasnt being held by his hand. My back arched slightly when Jean's tongue pressed into the slit firmly. "Ohh my God..." I breathed. Jean hummed against me and I gasped softly. He was so good... His mouth popped off and he licked up the sides then he went back to stroking, faster, I might add. I panted softly, looking down at him, finally. His eyes were glazed over in lust and he was very pink. "Jeaann..." He locked eyes with me and picked up the pace, his wrist flicking so beautifully. I found myself unable to resist bucking into his hand slightly and moaning breathlessly. My orgasm caught me off guard. I really thought I could last longer but it bubbled up quickly. I felt it in my stomach and before I knew it, I was cumming harder than any other handjob had ever made me cum. "Uh!" I jerked my hips up, biting down on my knuckle, "S-Shhiittt...!" I moaned as my body quivered in pleasure. I heard Jean moan softly as I rode out my orgasm, bucking up a few more times. I looked down, panting softly, and saw that it had gotton on my legs, between them onto the bed, and on Jean's chin. I gulped, and he grinned up at me. I smiled softly back, leaning my head against the pillow and rubbing my forehead, "God, Jean..." He chuckled softly, moving up and licking my lips gently. I licked the cum off of his chin in response and he groaned softly. I pulled up my underwear and night pants. "Want me to help you now...?" I asked. He hummed softly, nodding. I smiled, immediately pushing my hand into his boxers. He gasped softly, his eyes widening slightly. I held him in my hand with a firm and confident grip, already feeling a ton of precum on his dick. I pulled slowly and Jean's arms quivered on either side of my body, his eyebrows knitting together in pleasure. I flicked my wrist quickly a few times which made him part his lips in a silent sound, but then I stopped altogether. This caused a gorgeous moan to escape his lips as his legs shook slightly. I sat up, causing him to move back. I scootched backwards leaning my own back against the headboard and pulling Jean into my lap, so he was facing me, with his legs spread on either side. I licked my lips, pulling his boxers down his thighs slightly. I moaned softly when I saw his cock. It was so gorgeous. I gripped it again, causing a breathy moan to escape Jean's lips. He put his hands on my shoulders, his expression one of pure pleasure. I jacked him off slowly at first, coaxing little noises out of him. Then I moved quickly, hearing the wet sounds it made and feeling my dick twitch because of it. Jean moaned shakily and gripped my shirt when I stopped moving my hand. He gasped softly, "Fuck, Marco... Dont tease me..." "You're soo gorgeous..." I groaned, noticing the blonde hair down there. I stroked slowly but roughly, my hand slapping against his balls when it reached the base and my other hand gripping his hip. "Unf..! Uh..! Marco..." He shivered. "Shhh..." I hushed softly. "Hhhnng..." He moaned, drool slipping down his chin. "Oh man... Jean... You have no idea how much I want you right now..." I growled. He moaned loudly, bucking into my hand. I picked up the pace, keeping my rough movements. He gasped shakily, "Ah-ahhh! Immuna cum imuna cum!" He exclaimed. I stroked him quicker and he gasped and panted as he came hard into my hand, groaning and growling, shaking violently with his eyes closed tightly. I grinned, moaning softly at the sight of his cum spluttering onto my shirt. I stroked his cock roughly even after he rode out his orgasm which caused him to gasp and shiver. "Ahh, Jean..." I moaned in his ear. He gasped softly and breathed out a, "S-Shit..." I sucked on one of his earrings, letting his now limp dick go. "Hahh... That felt so fucking good..." He sighed breathlessly. "Good..." I responded. He pulled back up his boxers. "Ah... Sorry I got your night shirt all dirty..." He said, looking down. I shrugged, "I got the bed dirty." "Yeah." Jean replied, "That's alright... I'll change the sheets tomorrow..." I pulled off my shirt and put it under one of the pillows, giving Jean a chaste kiss afterwards then yawning. "Yeah." He said, swallowing, "It's late..." "Can I stay in here?" I asked. "Sure." Jean replied, raising an eyebrow, "You're gonna have to come up with an excuse if someone finds out, though." "Uhm..." I thought, knitting my eyebrows together, "I sleep walked. There we go! Good." Jean laughed softly, "Sure!" He agreed, rolling off of my lap and into the bed, pulling the covers over himself. I smiled, getting under the blankets myself. Jean reached up, turning off the lamp, then it was pitch black. I reached over, wrapping my arms around the blonde's waist, and pulling him over. He sighed softly and cuddled close to me. "I love you, Jean..." I whispered. I heard him chuckle softly, "I love you, too..." I fell asleep pretty quick.

I woke up first the next morning, to Jean's loud snoring. But I didnt mind. He was cute so it was okay. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, opening them, and immediately smiling when I saw Jean's face. I looked at the digital clock sitting on the side table. It was ten am. I sighed softly, leaning in and kissing Jean's face until he woke up. He eventually groaned and opened his eyes a bit. "Wake up..." I said softly. He smirked and rubbed his eyes, just rolling back over. "No." I said, pushed his shoulders, "Get up, nerd." "You're a nerd..." He said tiredly. "It's ten." I said. "Oh crap..." He sighed, getting up. "Oh crap?" I asked, sitting up, "I just woke up at this time because I did yesterday." "Good." Jean said, "This is the time my parents expect us to be downstairs to eat with them. I didnt set my alarm. Got reaaalllyy distracted." My face got hot. Jean half smiled at me over his shoulder as he sug through his bag, "Go get dressed, dork." He said, turning to his suitcase. I yawned, getting up, and pulling my night shirt out from under the pillow. "I'll see you downstairs." I said before heading to my own room and getting dressed. I then brushed my hair and teeth, and went to the restroom. I realized that a shower was in order later on today. The sweat had made the edges of my hair greasy. I headed downstairs and Jean was waiting for me in the front room. I smiled when he approached me. "Hey." He said, smiling back and taking my hands in his own, "I'm... Gonna tell dad during breakfast." My eyes widened a bit, "You're ready?" I asked. Jean shrugged, "Even if I'm not, I still need to do it." I nodded slowly, "I'm here for you..." I said, squeezing his hands. He nodded, "I know you are... I love you..." I pecked him on he lips softly, "I love you, too, Jean..." Jean let my hands go and the two of us headed into the dining area. His parents were seated in the same spots as the day before. We also took the same seats. I took a deep breath. Whenever Jean wanted to say it, I was ready. It was about halfway through the meal that Jean's dad actually brought up the subject of dating. Which was a brilliant segway. "Jean, have you found a girlfriend, yet? How is Mikasa doing?" "She's good. And no. Erm... Actually, Dad-" "What about Sasha?" His dad cut him off with. "Sasha's dating Connie and I dont like Mikasa anymore. She doesnt want to go out with me. I am dating someone, though." He said, glancing at me. I didnt think his dad would catch on so easily. But he did. He stared at his son for quite a few quiet moments and I knew that Jean knew that he knew. "You arent-" "I am. We are." His father sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Y'know, Jean, when I had a son, I wanted him to be somewhat sucessful in life. And if you couldnt be a lawyer or a doctor or even a pharmacist, I would have hoped that you'd at least not decide to do this." "It wasnt my decision to make." Jean said. "So you didnt decide to date this guy?" He said, gesturing to me. "Maybe he did decide to date me." I started, "But he didnt decide to love me." I felt Jean squeeze my hand under the table. "You know I was just starting to respect you, Bodt." His dad glared at me. I took a deep breath, "I dont need your respect. I need the respect of the ones that I actually care about. Like your wife, Jean, my friends, and my own family. It's hard. No one ever chooses to be gay or bi anything other than straight. Why would they when it's so difficult to get acceptance from bigots such as yourself." Jean's father just stared at me with wide eyes. "Are you a religious man, Léon." I asked. "No I am not. I just-" "Then there is no reason to be so terrible to other people. Even if you were religious there would be no reason to hate somebody's life you werent living. Unless it's costing you money. Which seems to be all that you care about." I shot at him. "Ah. Another thing to be dissapointed about. My son hiding behind someone instead of fighting his own battle." He said. "I'm not fighting because I'm scared!" Jean exclaimed. Everyone went silent. "God! For my entire life you've done nothing but judge me! Our entire family except for mom judges me! Weight, jobs, dreams, sexuality! Even my whole personality has been judged when you're the one who made me!" "Dont blame me for your sexuality!" His dad yelled. "I'm not! I'm blaming you for being a shit parent! You're supposed to accept and love me! Which is what mom and Marco are both doing! These two people are the only ones who accept every single thing that I do! Right down to whether or not I wore the same socks today! They accept it! Which is what you should be doing!" It was quiet. "Get out of here, Jean. We'll talk about this later." Léon said. Jean stood up and I followed. "No we wont." Jean said, "It's over. Unless you're going to talk to me about how we can start mending our relationship." He said, pulling me out.

God I was so happy. When we got outside the house, I was ready to commend Jean. And I was even going to hug him when, suddenly, he started bawling. I was surprised, so I jerked back. But when he nearly fell onto the concrete, I grabbed him, holding him tightly against my chest. He sobbed into my shoulder and gripped onto my shirt. "Jean... God I'm so proud of you, sweetheart..." I praised him. "F-Fuck!" He yelled, and I felt my shoulder getting wet, but I didnt care. "Jean you were so brave. I love you... God I love you..." Jean slowly calmed down and was eventually reduced to a whimper. I gently rubbed his back, sighing softly, "Jean... You're amazing..." He sniffled and I pulled away slightly, cupping his face in my hands and kissing all over it. When I pulled away, he was more red that he'd been from crying. "I'm so fucking weak." He said. "No... You're so strong... It takes bravery to do that... This is a normal response, Jean... You're feeling a ton of emotions at once... If it was me doing this, I would have fainted by now..." Jean sighed shakily and I kissed him softly for a breif moment. "Come on..." I said, reaching into the pocket of the jacket he was wearing and pulling his car keys out. More tears streamed down his face. I'd never seen him cry before but immediately knew that I didnt like it. I wanted to see him smile. Since he was so upset, it was making me upset. I wrapped an arm around him and pulled him towards the car. He got into the passenger's seat and I got in the driver's seat, clicking on our seatbelts. I started up the car and drove away from the house. "Where do you want to go?" I asked Jean. "A-Anywhere..." He said, sniffing and staring out the window, "But I just want to be with you..." I nodded, "Of course, Jean..." We ended up around the same area as the day before, wandering along the sidewalk, our hands intertwined. "Jean you were so brave... You're amazing..." He sighed shakily and squeezed my hand, shaking his head, "I was just... I was so nervous..." He said. "I know you were..." He sniffed and I pulled him closer to me. "Do you want some coffee?" I asked. He nodded and said, "There's a Starbucks somewhere around here... C'mon..." He then started leading us down the sidewalk. I rubbed the back of his hand with my thumb as we turned a corner. "I really love you..." I said softly. He smiled a bit. We eventually reached the Starbucks and he told me what he wanted then went to find a table. I ordered and paid then went over to him. "Watch them pronounce my name wrong." Jean immediately said to me as I sat next to him. I smirked, "How are they going to mispronounce it?" "Either they'll say Jeen. Or John." I laughed softly, "Really?" "Yep! It's great. Story of my life. 'Jeen Kirksteen.'" I laughed more. "That sounds awful..." I said. "I know. You're lucky." "I've been called Marco Butt before." I said, shrugging. Jean burst into laughter, "Oh my God! Okay! That's worse!" I laughed, too. Sure enough when the lady announced the names, she said "Jeen!" But she also said, "Squidward!" And Jean immediately burst into laughter. I laughed, too, getting up and going to grab the coffees then coming back and sitting back down, passing Jean his coffee. He was still laughing, "Fucking Squidward?" He exclaimed. I laughed again, "Shhh!" I hushed. "You're amazing." Jean said with a suddenly serious expression. I laughed softly, kissing his nose, "I thought you were going to tell me I was a 'fucking idiot'." Jean laughed, "Yeah. I was just thinking about that. Sorry for the verbal abuse." I chuckled. "I only say those things because I cant believe how perfect you are and I cant give a reasonable response. I really love everything you do." Jean said. I blinked, processing, before flushing red. "R-Really?" I asked. "Yeah..." Jean replied, half grinning, "All your stupid fucking memes, obsessions with superheroes and Star Wars... God I love you... You're so perfect... Just know that I cant formulate words properly and that I cant believe how amazing you are. But if you changed at all, I'd be really upset..." I laughed softly, taking his hand, "Where is this coming from? Did you break something?" He smirked, "I broke my dad." He replied, "Marco. I just know that I'm an asshole and I realized after you stood up for me, that you're going to be here with me for a long time... And that I love you a lot and that I dont compliment you or praise you or give you as much attention as I should..." My face got hotter. "Jean... Really. There's no need for any of that." He smirked and leaned towards me, "You're an idiot." He said, "I want to praise you more. I've set a goal for myself. Because I realized how important you are in my life and I dont even know how I lived without you before..." I rubbed underneath my nose, knowing how completely red I was. "Jean..." I said. He gave me a quick peck on the lips then took a drink of his coffee. He was so sweet... I scratched my nails lightly against my coffee cup and felt myself smile. "Marco." He suddenly started. I looked at him, waiting for an answer. "Should I get my septum peirced?" He asked. "Erm..." I said, studying his face and how the peicing he currenly had in his nose would look with his septum pierced, "I dont know... Maybe not. It might be too much on the ol' nose there. Get too crowded, you know?" "Nose peircing party!" Jean exclaimed. I laughed softly. "It wouldnt be huge. Not like a bull. It'd be barely noticable. I'd even replace this one-" He poked his current nose peircing, "-for a septum one. I've been wanting one for years." "I think it would be fine if you only had one of them." I said, "I dont really mind, though, either way... You'd still be cute." He raised an eyebrow at me and smirked, "You're cute." He shot back. I smiled a bit, leaning close and bumping my nose against his', "You're cute." I said before kissing him breifly then pulling back. He sighed and shook his head, drinking his coffee.

We eventually finished our coffees and just strolled around the city. When we were walking towards the park that we'd been at the day before, we noticed that Connie and Sasha were there, working on their assigments. "Hey, man." Jean greeted Connie. Connie looked up, "Oh! Hey, dude. Perfect timing. Eren and his group are on their way." "Ah. Cool." Jean replied. "Want to sit down?" Sasha asked, starting to scoot over and make room. "Eh. Marco can sit there if he wants to." Jean shrugged, sitting on the sidewalk. I shook my head at Sasha then sat next to Jean, "Thank you, though, Sasha." "The rolls have reversed!" Connie exclaimed. "I'll braid your hair now, Jean." Sasha said. We laughed, "What the fuck?" Jean exclaimed, "How the Hell are you even going to do that?" "I'll figure it out!" She said, actually beginning to braid his hair. "Fine. Whatever." Jean said, smirking. Suddenly, a wad of paper hit the side of my head, scaring the living daylights out of me. "What the what?!" I exclaimed as Eren, Armin, and Mikasa walked over. "Sorry, Marco!" Armin exclaimed, picking up the paper. "Yeah. I was aiming for Jean." Eren chimed in. "Hey!" Jean laughed. Armin uncrumpled the paper and I realized it was one of the papers we needed for our assignment. "Did you seriously do that to your assignment paper?" I asked Eren. Eren just shrugged, "Whatever." Jean sighed, "Eren. Marco's going to freak out now and search the ends of the Earth for that exact paper then cut you a new peice of it out." "I would." I said, "If I didnt have a ton of extras for you idiots." "That's our Marco!" Sasha exclaimed, "Always thinking ahead!" I smiled a bit. "Are we doing hair?" Mikasa asked. "Apparently." Jean replied, "Want me to braid yours?" Mikasa nodded, sitting in front of Jean. "Hair party!" Sasha exclaimed. Eren and Armin sat down next to me and Jean started braiding her hair. I looked at what Sasha was doing to Jean's hair and she kept pulling little rubber bands out of her pocket. I smirked and saw her making little baby braids in Jean's hair. I smiled and leaned over, kissing Jean on the cheek. "Ewww!" Connie yelled. Jean and I both laughed. We chatted about all of out trips here then Eren asked me how my stay with Jean's parents was and I laughed nervously. "About that." Jean said, "I told my dad this morning that Marco and I are dating..." Everyone was silent. "What'd he say?" Mikasa asked. Jean shook his head slightly, "He hates it... He was pissed..." Connie sighed, patting Jean on the shoulder. "Thanks..." Jean said. "He'll just have to learn how to live with it." I said. Jean sighed, "I know... Marco did most of the talking." I smirked, "I was just telling him that he wasnt being correct in saying that what we're doing is a choice, overall. And that it's not okay to be a bigot. You're the one who was saying the other important things about your relationship with him and the rest of your family." I smiled. Jean smiled softly back. "You guys are cute." Sasha said. Jean spluttered and turned pink. I smiled wider, leaning over and kissing his cheek again. "Stop it!" He exclaimed. I laughed softly.

We got back at around seven. We went to dinner with our friends so we wouldnt have to go through the awkwardness of sitting through it with Jean's dad. It was around nine that we were just sitting around in Jean's room(after changing the sheets)when someone knocked on the door. "Who is it?" Jean asked. "It's me." His mom responded. "Come in." Jean said. She opened the door and I stood up to leave but when she came in, she closed the door behind her and told me to sit back down. So I did so, nervously. "I just wanted to say that I will always support you until the end of time. And I will be talking to your father tonite, Jean, and he will know that Marco will be here for a log time." Jean smiled softly and she hugged him. He hugged her back. "I'm proud of you, Jeanbo. I love you very much." "Love you, too..." He said. She pulled away, kissing him on the cheek, then coming for me. We hugged and she said, "Thank you." "Of course, ma'am." I replied. "Call me Genevieve." She said, pulling away. "Y-Yes, ma-Genevieve." I said. She smiled, blowing a kiss before heading out of the room. "Not as easy to call your boyfriend's mom by her first name as you thought it was, huh?" Jean suddenly threw at me. I spluttered, "Ah! N-No..." I admitted. Jean half grinned, leaning towards me and kissing me. I smiled softly, kissing him back. The kiss became more heated but when Jean started pulling my shirt up, I pushed him away gently. "Wait. You just changed the sheets." I said. He raised an eyebrow at me, "I will put down a fucking towel if you care so much, Marco." I felt my face flush red and I laughed, shrugging, "Okay..." "Really?" Jean asked, "Alright." He then stood up and headed out of the room. I smirked, laughing softly. He soon came back and legitamately pulled the covers back, laying a towel down then gesturing to it with a, still, very raised eyebrow. "Alright..." I said, nodding towards the towel, "Lie down..." He flushed pink, doing so and lowering his eyebrow. I crawled over top of him, kissing him immediately. The kiss was very rough and heated. Jean was already a passionate kisser so it was a lot. I sucked his bottom lip gently as I pulled away from the kiss.

Then I pulled his shirt up slightly. He gasped softly when my tongue found one of his nipples. I pulled at the skin gently and licked slowly over it. He let out a ragged sigh. I looked up, kissing his jaw softly. Then I undid the zipper and button on his jeans, pulling them down. He kicked them off of his feet. I ground my knee into the front of Jean's boxer shorts. He groaned softly. I smiled a bit and kissed his nose. He gave me a smirk and I ground harder, earning a breathy moan. I hummed, nibbling his earring and whispered softly, "What do you want me to do to you...?" He gasped and shivered, gulping, "A-Anything... God..." I understood the agreement we'd made earlier. We wouldnt go all the way. I bit and sucked a spot on his jaw and licked away the excess saliva after pulling my teeth away. I reached my hand into his boxer shorts, smiling softly, then pressing the tips of my fingers gently against his balls. He gasped and jumped a bit, obviously not expecting it. I chuckled softly, sliding my index finger up his growing erection then pulling his boxers down his thighs so his dick sprang free. I then leaned over him, kissing him breathless, then sliding my lips down his stomach, chuckling softly when his happy trail tickled my chin. "You ever had a blowjob before, Jean...?" I whispered against his cock. He groaned, shaking his head. I smiled softly, gripping his dick in my hand and milking it a few times, getting a moan out of him. I then swirled my tongue around the tip, tasting the salty precum on my tongue. "Gh-!" He managed. I pressed my tongue hard into the slit then slowly started taking the blonde's dick into my mouth, tonguing down the side as I went. His fingers found their way into my hair and I pressed my other, now free, hand against his hip. When I had all of him in my mouth, he was completely out of breath. "Shit... Marco..." He gasped. I hollowed my cheeks, starting to suck. "Unnhh..." Jean moaned, his back arching slightly, his fingers pulling my hair gently. I bobbed my head slowly and locked eyes with golden ones. He had an expression of bliss on his face, his lips parted slightly, and his eyebrows knitted together. I sucked hard on his cock before allowing it to hit the back of my throat. His legs shivered and he squeaked when it hit the flesh. I swallowed around his dick. He gasped and pulled my hair ever so slightly harder. I felt his hips move but I stopped that by pushing against his them with my hands. "Unnnghg...!" He moaned, "I cant..." He gasped, "Imuna cum... Oh fffuuucckk imuna cummm..." I popped my mouth off of his dick immediately, blowing cold air onto it. Jean's legs shook, "What the fuuckk, Marco!?" He exclaimed breathlessly, drool going down his chin. I licked my lips, grinning up at him. "You wonna cum...?" I asked teasingly, sliding my index finger across the slit and gathering precome onto it. He nodded, shivering. I slid up, kissing him gently for a breif moment. "Ung... Fuck you..." Jean said. I laughed softly, nuzzling my nose against his'. "God it felt good... Please..." He whined, "Stop teasing..." "You're so cute..." I groaned. Jean moaned quietly and narrowed his eyebrows menacingly at me. It actually made me a little nervous. I sighed, "Fine. Fine..." I kissed him softly once. I then reached my hand back down, milking his cock agonizingly slow, hearing the wet slip of it against my hand. Jean moaned and his back arched slightly. He wrapped his arms around my neck, looking down in between us as I jacked him off, his face immediately becoming an even darker shade of pink than it already was. "F-Fuccckk..." He moaned. I moved my hand quickly and he started panting hard. Then I let his dick go entirely. He groaned loudly, arching his back, "Uh...! Ung...! Lemme cum..." He whined. I milked his cock roughly, earning little noises out of him. He bucked up into my hand and I noticed the drool again, coming from the corner of his mouth. I leaned in, licking it off. He suddenly moaned very loudly, his back arching far. I milked him quickly, moaning, too, in his ear, "Oh Jeaaann..." "Ahhhh fuuckkkinngg shiiitttt..!" Jean exclaimed shakily and high pitched as he thrust his hips up hard into my hand, cum spluttering onto my shirt, "Hah! Ahn!" "You're soo sexy..." I praised, but then I let his dick go, mid-ejaculation. "P-Please no...!" Jean cried out, "Fuuckk...!" He bucked his hips up a few more times then I grabbed it again, pumping hard. He gasped and came even harder than he already was, throwing his head back, "Ohhhh Shiiiittt..!" He yelled. He moaned out loudly in pleasure, his thighs quaking. "Ahhhaaaa...! Ahhhh...!" He exclaimed, bucking his hips up hard. I moaned at the sight. He growled loudly and that's when I realized just how loud he actually was. As he came down from his high, the first thing I said to him was, "Everyone in the house can know now how good I am at this..." And Jean slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide. I laughed softly, pulling his hand away from his face and kissing him gently for a few moments, "Relax..." I said, "It's okay. I was just messing around... You're pretty loud but it's okay..." Jean sighed, pulling up his boxers and pulling down his shirt over his stomach. "Goddammit..." I kissed his jaw softly where his new hickey was, admiring it. I smiled softly, "You're cute..." I said. He just smirked at me, "You say that a lot..." "It's just the truth..." I replied. "Do you need to come?" Jean asked with a raised eyebrow. I smiled a bit, shrugging, "If you're tired, you dont have to do it." Jean sighed, pulling me closer to him by my belt loops, "Are you crazy?" I grinned and pulled my shirt off, tossing it onto the floor. Jean undid the button fly on my jeans and pushed them down slightly along with my underwear. He smiled softly, pulling on my cock. I moaned quietly, parting my lips and feeling my face get hotter than it already was. He raised an eyebrow, "Y'know I could be mean to you...?" He asked. I smiled softly, nodding, "Are you going to be, though...?" I asked. He seemed to think about it, "Not this time... But I'll get you back eventually..." I pouted then Jean started jacking me off at a nice pace with a firm grip. I sighed softly with a moan at the end of it and leaned down, kissing my boyfriend, our tongues intertwining. I found myself unable to control how much spit was being made. But Jean didnt really seem to mind. He pulled away from the kiss after a little bit, a string of saliva connecting our lips. Jean broke that string, however, with a half smile. I moaned softly as he rubbed the tip of my dick. I leaned my forehead against his' and felt myself starting to reach my orgasm. "God I love you..." Jean said, "You're so beautiful and perfect and just... Goddamn... Hot..." I groaned, my stomach getting tight. I sighed against Jean's lips, moaning harder and harder as I reached my climax. I gasped as cum sputtered onto, what I made sure, was the towel between Jean's legs. "Ahh fuck, Marco..." Jean groaned. I shivered, growling softly before starting to come down from my high. "See...? The towel helped..." Jean said, smiling. I smiled softly, tugging up my underwear and jeans, then hugged him close to me. "I have a question..." Jean said. "Mhm...?" I asked, nuzzling my face into his neck. "Why are we starting to do this at my parent's house...?" He asked. He was right... We hadnt ever done this kind of thing before we got here. "Erm... I dont know..." I said, "I dont know..." Jean laughed softly, "To spite my dad seems like it would be a good reason." "Can't the reason just be because we love eachother?" I asked. Jean turned his head to look at me. He kissed me softly, "Of course, Marco..." He said, "I love you..." "I love you, too..." I responded, smiling. Maybe we were also doing this to cope with the stress of being here... It had been a rough morning earlier and relaxing seemed like the best bet... But I was sure we'd be doing things like this even under normal circumstances where we wouldnt be stressed nonstop. Now that Jean knew that I would take good care of him, it would most likely happen again. "You're such a dick." Jean suddenly said. Maybe I was wrong? "What?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "Fucking teasing me that whole time. Jesus Christ." He said, frowning. I laughed softly, "Hey! It made it better! You came really hard..." He sighed, shaking his head. "Hey... I wanted to make you feel good... But if you dont want me to do that anymore, I wont..." Jean glanced at me then shrugged a bit, "Do what you want..." I smiled a bit. I knew he liked it. I pulled him closer, ruffling my face into his hair.

The next morning, Jean woke me up and made me get up so he could take the towel to the laundry room. I groaned and rolled out of bed, "Nooo..." He smirked and grabbed the towel, kissing my cheek, then taking it downstairs. I sighed, opening my suitcase. We decided that I may as well just stay in here. I was really excited to be able to leave tomorrow. It was a nice place but... Not nice people. I got changed just as Jean was coming into the room. He came over to me and touched my chin. I looked at him, confused, as he studied my face. "You have stubble." He said. "Ah. Yeah." I said, smiling softly, "I forgot my razor at Coirtney." "What the Hell?" Jean said, "You could have asked me for one. I have, like, three." I smirked, "You have three with you?" "Yes." He responded. I shrugged, "Okay! I think I'll be okay. I've never grown it out before." "Please dont grow it out." Jean said, grimacing. I laughed, "Hey!  
Come on... I wonna." Jean sighed, studying my face, "Do whatever you want." He finally shrugged. I smiled softly and kissed his nose, "You wont mind. You'll see." "Alright." Jean said, pecking me on the lips once then going to his own suitcase. I headed out to use the restroom and brush my teeth. When I opened the door to come out of the bathroom, Jean was right there. What was better was, he screamed. I jumped, nearly falling backwards but catching myself and letting out a screech. Jean burst into laughter. "Jesus Christ!" I yelled, putting a hand over my chest, eyes wide, taking deep breaths. "Stop doing that!" I exclaimed. Jean was, literally, crying with laughter. "Thank you, Marco! My first Vine has been made!" He exclaimed, waving his phone in my face. I processed what he was saying, then it was funny. I snorted and laughed, "You recorded? Let me see!" I exclaimed. Jean grinned. "I'll show you it after I post it, kay?" He said. I nodded, laughing, then walked past him to the room. Jean was ridiculous. But when he wanted to do something, he tried to make it perfect. And me being terrified was definately good material for a first video on any social media website. I was a jumpy person who gave the best reactions to a lot of things that I was not expecting. I put my toothbrush and toothpaste in my bag and pulled on my Vans. Then I grabbed my phone and headed downstairs, waiting for Jean in the front room... When his dad came out of one of the random doors beside the room. We locked eyes. I narrowed my eyebrows at him, breaking the gaze and looking at my phone. He stood there for a while which made me almost turn to look at him. Then he came over and sat in the chair he was in when Jean and I first got here during this break. I still didnt look at him. It was quiet. Then he cleared his throat, "What do your parents do, Marco?" He asked me. "My dad doesnt have any college degrees so he works in retail and as a construction worker." "I-I see... Does your mom do anything?" He asked. I tried to understand what was going on... My theory was that Jean's mother had tried a bunch of ways to get her husband to consider trying to mend the relationship between him and her son and pity must have been one of them. "No. She doesnt. She's a stay at home mom." "Does she have any degrees?" He asked. "In highschool." I replied. "Oh." He said, "Any reason for her not working too or instead of your father?" "She wanted to stay at home and be with her children. And women get paid less than men so if she worked instead of my dad, it would probably make less money even if she was in in the same job setting." Jean's father made a humming sound. "Jean has probably already told you, but I work in law. And my wife works in the medical feild." I nodded, "Yeah... I've actually seen your billboards in Pennsylvania and Montana. And now here. You're pretty big." "Ah yes." His dad sighed, leaning back in his chair. Maybe it wasnt such a good idea to say that. He seemed to have a large ego when it came to his work. I heard the stairs creaking and I looked up. Jean stopped on a stair, staring wide eyed down at us. I glanced at his dad but he hadnt noticed his son yet. Or me looking at him. He was cleaning his glasses. I waved Jean over and he looked like he was contemplating going back up the stairs. I'd never really seen him run away from something frantically like he looked like he was about to. The argument we'd had about the majors when he almost ran away was just him being rude and not wanting to talk about the topic because he'd been feeling lazy and hadnt cared about it. Now he was about to run because he genuinely didnt want to talk to his father. He looked scared and worried. He was going to run because he cared too much. I gave him a serious look that said, "Get down here now." He seemed to be frozen. But when his dad noticed him and said, "Jean. Come down here. I want to talk to you and Marco." He nearly tripped when he went back up the stairs. I sighed. This man, Jean's father, had a huge impact on Jean's life, it seemed. Jean had said that he didnt care about what his dad thought anymore. But he really did... I heard the man sigh as well, shaking his head and pushing his glasses up his nose. I stood, "I'll go get him." I said. His father nodded. I went up the stairs, going to Jean's room, and turning the doorknob, only to find the door locked. "Jean?" I said. "What?" He replied. "Come downstairs..." "No." Was his simple response. "Jean he wants to talk to us..." I said. "I dont care..." "Yes you do... You just dont want to hear it... But you have to..." Jean was quiet, "What's he gonna say...?" Jean asked. "I dont know, Jean... I cant tell if it's good or not. I cant read your father. He's a real mystery to me..." It was silent for a while before I said, "Jean. I know you dont want to but we have to. I'll be there. And we'll take whatever he says and let it bounce off of us if it's bad, okay?" Jean was still quiet... "Jean?" I asked. No response. "Jean." No answer. "J-Jean?!" Silence. "Jean what are you doing?! Open the door!" I exclaimed, twisting the doorknob and finding it to still be locked. "Go away!" He yelled. I stopped. He was scared. "Jean open the door..." I said gently. "No!" He said. "I know you're afraid... Just open up..." It was quiet yet again. "Jean you're scaring me. Talk." He didnt say anything and I sighed, "Jean please." I pleaded. I heard something break. "W-What are you doing?" I exclaimed. "Go away, Marco!" He screamed. "Open up!" I yelled. "No! I already said no!" His voice cracked. "I'll break the door down if you dont!" Something crashed and another, very heavy, thing hit the floor. "Jean stop breaking things!" Something suddenly was thrown onto the otherside of the door, and I jumped a bit. And right behind the sound of that something breaking on the door, followed another. "He'll never accept me! I'm shit!" He yelled. "Jean stop it now!" No answer except for a loud cracking sound then the crunch of an object breaking. That was it. I stepped back a few steps, taking a deep breath. Then I charged forwards, hitting the door as hard as I could with my shoulder. I heard a the door crack a bit but it wasnt enough to break the lock, so I moved back for another go. There was a very loud sound of glass crashing to the floor from inside. The mirror closet... I charged again, slamming my shoulder against the door. It opened, the lock on the inside breaking off and falling to the carpet. I slammed the door open, peices from the vases broken against the door being pushed along with it. The dresser had been knocked over and the pot that the plant was sitting in was broken, plus the fan on the ceiling had a wooden arm broken off of it which was now on the floor. And the light had been broken. Jean was clearly terrified. Even before he talked to his dad. This man was having a huge effect on him. The worst was when I looked over and the entire glass mirror closet was on the ground. But I didnt know where Jean was. I heard sobbing. Closet. I closed the door behind me and went over to the closet, pulling it open, glass sliding across the floor. Sure enough, Jean was curled up in there, sweaty, hair disheveled, hands bloody, and sobbing harder than I'd even seen him cry. "Jean..." I said, wanting to cry, myself. He was broken because of something his dad hadnt even said yet... I reached for him but he swung at me. I leaned back a bit. He was still resisting... "Jean please. It's over." I said, grabbing his arm. "Let me fucking go!" He screamed like he was about to be murdered. I just pulled him up. Suddenly, the door swung open again and I could barely keep Jean still when he saw his father there. "Jean relax!" I exclaimed, holding him close to me. "G-Get the first aid kit!" His dad yelled with wide eyes, "Go!" He said, grabbing his son from my arms. I ran out of the room, ready to start searching, when I saw a group of maids, standing around, looking horrified. Thanks for helping me unlock the door, ladies. Not. "First aid kit!" I exclaimed. Two of them went down the hall and I followed behind them. They stopped in front of a random door and one of them unlocked it, going inside. It was a sort of supply closet. She grabbed the first aid kit and threw it to me, I ran back down the hall and was about to go back into the room, when I saw that there was no one in there. Bathroom. I sprinted along the carpet, reaching the bathroom and turning in. Jean's father had both of his son's wrists in his hands, holding them under the flowing water of the sink, trying to clean them off. Jean was still sobbing. "I got it!" I exclaimed, setting the forst aid kit down on the counter. His dad looked at me. He was worried. Extremely so. I could see it in his face. He grabbed the hand towel, turning off the water quickly, and drying Jean's hands roughly. Jean cried out in pain and his father sat him down on the closed lid of the toilet. Jean tried to resist and stand up but his father pushed him back down, giving him a stern look and saying, "Dont. Move." Jean froze. I sighed softly, going over and kneeling next to the toilet, rubbing Jean's back. I was out of breath and probably looked like a mess, myself. Jean's father didnt look very good either. He was very pale, and his glasses had fallen off somewhere in this craziness. Plus his shirt had blood on it and so did his hands and sleeves. He opened the first aid kit, pulling out a pair of tweezers, then coming over to Jean. "Relax." He said to his son, grabbing one of his hands. Jean was still letting out broken sobs. He was in so much pain... He was broken and scared and just... I felt like crying. He wasnt Jean. I leaned up, kissing his cheek softly. His crying got quieter. His father started pulling peices of glass out of his hand. Jean flinched and I took his free hand, not caring about the blood. "Squeeze my hand if it hurts..." I said. He immediately did so. "Jean..." His dad started, "I was going to tell you and Marco... That I'd been thinking a lot about this..." Jean stilled. I knew Jean didnt want to hear this but it was good for his dad to explain now, "And I want to understand. I know your boyfriend wont be going anywhere. And you dont have to forgive me. Just know that I will try to understand you and Marco, okay? While I don't accept it, by any means, yet, I wont ignore you or him." Jean's mother really worked her magic... While he didnt accept it, he'd have to learn how to deal with it. And he knew it. I just wondered why she did it so late... Maybe she was afraid of her husband and she only just realized that Jean has to come first. I sighed with releif. Jean was shaking like a chihuahua and he nodded, sniffing. Jean's dad finished pulling glass out of one hand and took his other, pulling it away from mine. So I took Jean's now free other hand. I couldnt help but smile softly. "I'm sorry..." Jean's voice cracked horribly. "It's okay." Jean's dad reassured, "I'm serious, Jean. I'll take care of the damages. It doesnt matter." Jean sniffed, nodding a bit, "W-Why only now?" He asked. Jean's dad shrugged, "I dont care about the things I dont understand. Your mother was afraid to correct me. Which I do understand. I'm surprised she hasnt left me yet. She was terrified while she was trying to convince me to try to understand. I will start trying to explain to my family what I am trying to do at this point." Jean sighed softly, a huge weight obviously being lifted off of his shoulders. This had been a huge feat for his mother. To be able to overcome this fear was big. His father finished the other hand then put the tweezers on the sink counter. He went back in, pulling out the hydrogen peroxide. Jean groaned and his dad nodded, opening the lid. I sighed, squeezing his hand once. His dad sprayed Jean's free hand. Jean squeezed my hand and his eyes closed tight. His dad then sprayed his other hand and I still held it. Then he started dressing his son's wounds, wrapping them in guaze. Jean and I both knew that he still wouldnt help pay for anything of Jean's if it was related to art but we also knew that him saying that he was trying to understand this, was a big step. Then Jean did something that he probably hasnt done since he was around five years old. He hugged his father. And his father hugged him back. I sighed with releif. Jean stood up after his father pulled away. "Now take your stuff out of that room and to a different one. I will get the girls to clean it up." Jean and I nodded then headed out. As we walked down the hall I said, "Jean..." "I know." Jean replied, looking extremely guilty. I sighed, stopping and hugging him close to me. He hugged me back tightly. I felt him start shaking and grip hard onto my shirt. "I'm s-sorry... I'm just... Shit... I'm a terrible boyfriend... I dont deserve you..." His voice cracked. "Stop it." I said. He looked at me, tears streaming down his face. I felt the water well up in my own eyes. I sighed, "You were scared and probably still are... I understand your violence, Jean... Was it an overreaction? Maybe. And it scared the shit out of me. But I get it... God I get it... I walked into the room and immediately wanted to just say,  
'Me, too.' because I understand being so afraid and angry that you will just destroy everything you can... Story of my life... The unknown is always what gets you, y'know...?" Jean just stared at me, "How the f-fuck are you real...?" I laughed softly, feeling tears stream down my face. I wanted to be strong for Jean but sometimes... Being strong means showing someone that you're just as weak.


	31. Ten Steps at a Time CH 19 (Jean)

My hands were fucking killing me on the plane ride to Montana. I was glad that my dad and I had somewhat resolved a part of our fucked up relationship. And I was glad that I finally told Marco. Even though I didnt feel guilty about not saying anything, it was still a huge weight off of my shoulders. Pun intended. And my car. My parents said they'd hire some people to drive it back to Coirtney so I could just leave it at home for now. Anyways. I didnt have any pain killers and my hands were just dying. "God my hands are fucking killing me..." I mumbled. Marco was awake this time, susprisingly. He thought he'd try staying up for this trip. He looked at me, eyebrows knitted together, "I'm sorry... Here..." Then he held a hand out to me. I placed my left hand in his'. He started gently unwrapping the guaze and I hissed it pain. "I know..." He said, "We need to change this guaze, Jean... That's why it's hurting. We'll do it when we get to my parent's house, okay?" I nodded a bit and Marco re-wrapped my hand. "I cant believe how much damage you did to that room..." Marco said. I nodded, "I know... I felt pretty bad afterwards, too..." Marco sighed softly and leaned in, kissing my cheek, "It's okay..." I smiled a bit. "Can I ask you something?" He said. "You just did." He smirked and rolled his eyes and I half smiled, "Yeha you can." "How much weight have you gained since this began this year?" He asked, his expression going serious. "Like... 11 pounds." I said, shrugging, "I'm around 121 now." Marco nodded. "How much do you weight, Marco?" Marco smiled a bit, "I'm in the 154-157 zone. Somewhere in there." "Wait really?" I asked. He nodded, raising an eyebrow. "Why?" He asked. "I dont know... I guess my image of bodies is distorted because... Damn. I need to do some thinking." Marco laughed softly, "Did you think I was buffer?" He asked, flexing. "I still think you are." I said, squeezing his bicep. He smirked, "Well thank you. I'm going to start going to the gym when we get back. I havent gotton any excercise since I stopped ballet last year. I'm pretty out of shape." I nodded, "Yeah. Good idea." I sighed, "The most exercise I'm allowed to do is go for a walk. And I havent done that yet." Marco nodded, knitting his eyebrows together, "I'm sorry, honey." "Dont pity me." I said jokingly. He raised his eyebrows, "I'm not! I'm not." I smirked, "I'm joking around. Relax. And it's not your fault." Marco sighed with releif. "Okay..." He said, "I dont know how sensitive you are." I smirked, "As long as you arent a complete douchefuck, it's fine." Marco laughed softly and nodded. Marco's parents were awesome, as always. And Marco's mom said she was doing fine with the baby so far. But I knew when Marco told them about my weight problem because they started asking me at all meals if I wanted anymore food and they'd randomly ask me if I wanted a snack in the middle of the afternoon or morning. I didnt mind it, honestly. They were sweet. But I let them know that it wasnt necessary. We got back to Coirtney on Sunday night and my guaze had been changed more than twice. The wounds still werent doing very well. It would be a while until they healed, for sure.

On the Monday back, we had to turn in our Spring Break assignments and when I placed them on the front table, Pixis asked me what I did to my hands. Then everyone started asking before I could even respond to Pixis. I shrugged and headed back to the table with Marco. I didnt want to talk about it, really. Though it was resolved, it still wasnt an awesome memory. I'd been horrified the whole fucking time and unable to control myself. Marco just smile sympatheically at me. My long time friends didnt look amused, though. I'd tell them soon. "Jean, can you come here?" Pixis asked after a few moments. I stood and walked over. He was looking through my Spring Break sketches and had his eyebrows narrowed. "What's up?" I asked. "Have a seat." He said. I pulled up a stool and sat down. "So. I was just looking at this picture." He said, clicking at his computer and bringing up a picture of a lake with a bench in front of it and trees around it, "And I thought it looked suspiciously like this..." He finished, sliding one of my assignments towards me. I looked at the sketch and at the picture. They were really identical. "Well..." I said, "And?" "Jean. I hope you didn't plagiarize." I spluttered, shocked, "W-What? No! I wouldnt-! What?" Pixis just looked at me. "Sir I'd never do that." "I dont know, Jean." He was doubting me. "Hah?" "You havent been the most trustworthy student this year. You've broken people's work. You've yelled while people were giving speeches about their work, you've thrown things. I dont know what to believe." I felt my jaw drop. "W-What? But-! I've been here for two years! My other teachers arent complaining and they never have! You have to believe me. I'd never plagiarize anything. Never have. Never will." Pixis looked between the picture and my work, "Jean it's identical. I scanned your work. I scan everyone's work. And this picture came up on Google." I was about to freak out. "But I didnt do that." I said. This was something I really cared about: Art. If I got kicked out of this school, I'd have nowhere else to go. I would be done. "Jean. How do I know?" "You have to trust me." "What's happening?" I suddenly heard behind me. I turned a bit. Marco. I didnt recognize his voice. He looked really serious. "Jean claims he didn't plagiarize this sketch but I found this online after scanning the sketch." Pixis explained, pointing at the computer screen. "I was with Jean when he drew that." Marco said, "He couldnt have copied anything. I watched him begin and finish that sketch. This was of a park lake in Montana, where my parents live. I did one of it, too." Pixis opened Marco's envelope and pulled his out, looking through them. I felt Marco's hands on my shoulders and I sighed. Marco had to be able to take care of it. Pixis pulled out a sketch that Marco'd done of the same lake. "See?" Marco said, "That's the same lake, sir." Pixis nodded, "It is. But... Arent you slightly biased, Marco?" He asked. "I... Erm... Sir. I would never. I was in that national competition, remember? Erwin trusts me and didnt you scan mine? And it passed?" Pixis nodded, "Yes. But... Still. I'm not sure. Was anyone else with you? I need another opinion." "Yes. I do, sir. They can come down here if you need that." Marco said. Mina, Hitch, and Thomas had been with us when we'd drawn those. "That would be preferable. I'm not going to grade any of your sketches until it's proven to me that this hasnt been plagiarized. Both of you." He said. "I understand, sir." Marco replied, "They'll be down here soon." I sighed shakily. "Hey... It's alright..." Marco soothed, rubbing my shoulders. "Fuck..." I breathed, standing up and leaving to go to the bathroom. I was a fucking pussy bitch. But I was horrified. Just the thought of being kicked out.. I went into the bathroom, taking a deep breath and splashing water on my face to startle myself back into reality. I jumped a bit, wiping off my face. Everything was alright. Nothing bad was gonna happen. It was okay. The door opened then, and Marco came in, looking extremely worried. "Are you okay?" He said, coming over and hugging me close. I hugged him back and nodded, "Just startled, is all. Need a moment to get my cool..." Marco nodded, too. "Hey... I'm going to call Mina. She can come here quickly from Texas. She's got some money, okay...? He'll trust someone who came straight from Mattheius... Pixis is just weird, okay? He needs a third party. That's all." I sighed shakily and he just held me closer. "I'm fucking spineless, Marco..." I said. "Shh..." He hushed, "Dont say that... You arent... It was really random... I probably would have fainted if that happened to me... It'll all be okay... Relax..." "I need to stop burdening you... You got in trouble, too... Now you might be kicked out, too... You dont need this shit... You've worked too hard..." I said. Marco sighed, cupping my face in his hands and frowning, locking eyes with me, "Stop. It." He said seriously. I spluttered a bit. "I'm serious, Jean. Stop. You're so important to me, okay? You're amazing and perfect and I love you and any problems you have, are mine. That's how dating works. You love someone so much that you will take the bullet for or with them, Jean. Now dont feel bad, okay? Dont do it. I will walk into the sun for you." I couldnt help but smile and Marco smiled back, nuzzling his nose against mine. "You're so sweet..." I said. He kissed me breifly, pulling me close to him by my waist. I grinned and wrapped my arms around his neck, resting my forhead against his'. "I love you..." I said. Marco smiled, "I love you, too, Jean..." Mina came that Friday and her, Marco, and I had a meeting with Pixis. She showed him photos of the lake that she'd taken and ones of her as a little girl with her family to prove that she'd not just taken the photos off the internet. And that did it. He graded our sketches and Mina went back to Texas. I was really glad that Marco knew how to take care of these things. "What the fucking shit would I do without you, Marco?" I asked him when the meeting was over. Marco just laughed and kissed my cheek.

Marco had told me not think like this, but I didnt fucking deserve him... He was so perfect and I was actually considering breaking up with him so he could find someone better but he'd never let me. We were all hanging out in the commons room that Sunday. I say "all." I really mean Eren's group and Connie and Sasha. And Marco, obviously. At this point, the words "I" and "me" meant myself and Marco. "So what happened over the break that we didnt hear about, Jean?" Connie asked me, sitting on the floor with Sasha. "Oh yeah. Tell us." Armin said. I smirked softly, "Yeah... Erm. So. I told my dad that Marco and I were dating he didnt like it blahblah. Then my mom showed some baby photos of me to Marco and I told him about the weight thing. Then my dad wanted to talk to me and I freaked out and broke some stuff in my room. Hence the hands. Then my dad said that he'd learn to live with Marco and me being together. So. Yeah." My friends just stared at me and I shrugged. "What the Hell, Jean?" Eren asked, "You're so calm." I smirked, "Whatever... Everything's okay." "I'm surprised you didnt tell us!" Sasha said. I chuckled softly, "Guys... Marco was there. I was alright." I looked at my boyfriend and he smiled at me. "What did you break that made your hands need to be wrapped in guaze?" Armin asked. "My glass mirror door closet." I said. "You punched it?" Sasha exclaimed. "Yeah." I replied, "What else did I break?" I asked Marco. "Uhm..." Marco replied, thinking, "Two vases, the potted plant, you knocked over the dresser, and the fan. And I had to break the door to get in." "What the fucccckk?" Eren said. "I've done that before. Remember last year when I was forced to go to that stupid fucking company party by my dad when we were in the middle of an assignment?" I asked. "What happened?" Marco asked. "I broke three people's pots and the handle on the sink in Pixis' classroom." I said. "Yeah. I almost killed you for that. I needed to avenge my pot." Eren said. "Why would you say the word avenge?" I asked, groaning. Eren looked confused. "Avengers 2 is happening!" Marco exclaimed. "Oh." Eren said, laughing. "We-We know, honey." I said, patting Marco's head. Marco just smirked at me. I ran my hand through his hair, "You need a haircut." I said. "I know. I'll schedual an appointment soon." He replied. "You also need a shave." I said, poking his growing stubble. He just shrugged. "I dont mind the incoming beard, though!" Sasha said. "Me neither." Mikasa said. "Well you're girls so your opinions dont matter." "Wow!" Connie said, "Sexist." I felt my face get hot, "No! That's not what I meant! I meant that it doesnt matter because Marco isnt trying to impress girls!" "We know, Jean." Marco said, pulling me closer to him and smiling. I sighed and pushed the back of Connie's head with my bare foot. "Ew!" Connie exclaimed, jerking away. "And their opinions do matter." Marco finished. "I know! I was joking! Oh my God..." I said, pinching the bridge of my nose, "Sometimes I feel like I'm just all by myself in this fucking world..." "Hey. No you arent." Marco said, kissing my cheek. "You didnt even know I was joking, Marco." "All I can do is try." He said, smiling. Ugh. I sighed, "Whatever. Anyways. You should let me cut your hair." "W-What? Erm... No thanks." He said, smiling nervously. "What? You dont trust me?" "It's not that... I just dont want you doing anything crazy..." I smirked, "I'm not gonna shave it all off. Jesus. You should trust me, though, it would look good." Marco sighed, "Jean..." "Jean's actually really good at cutting hair, Marco. He's cut a lot of people's hair here and in highschool." Armin said, "I'd trust him." Marco sighed, contemplating. "... Okay. Okay, Jean." He finally said. "Yes!" I exclaimed, punching a fist in the air. Marco smirked. "Let me cut this too." I said, grabbing his chin and looking at his stubble. "Do you really not like it?" He asked. I actually thought it was sexy as Hell... I just didnt want to tell him because I was stubborn. But I guess I had to now that he was seriously asking. "I think it's fucking hot." I said. "Woah!" Eren exclaimed. And all my friends turned around in shock at my random bluntness. Marco spluttered and his face turned red. "You were talking like you hated it!" Sasha exclaimed. "Naw. I just didnt wanna say I liked it because I didnt want Marco to be like 'Told you you'd like it.'" Marco laughed softly, "Aww. Jean. No. I'm not going to say that." I half smiled, "Thanks. And, yeah, I really like it a lot, Marco." Marco grinned, "I'm glad! I was actually starting to become afraid that you wouldnt like it." He said. I grinned. Then I was reminded about something, "Hey! Speaking of liking something! Your fucking fans were asking where you were when you were sick a couple weeks ago." Marco looked confused, "My... 'Fans?'" He asked. "Yes!" Connie exclaimed, pointing at me in order to show that he agreed with me, "He's right! Everyone was asking us where you were!" Marco laughed, "Really? That's... Weird." "How do you know so many people?" I asked. "Erm... I dont." Marco said, "That's why it's weird... I mean, I say hi to people during breakfast and during the day. Sometimes it sparks a coversation. But other than that, I dont really talk to anyone except people in our class and a couple photography students." I sighed, "Marco. Everyone thinks you're fucking amazing and perfect. Including me. And they idolize you." "W-What?! Why?!" He exclaimed. "Because you are. Your art is amazing, you came from Mattheius, you're gorgeous, you can spark conversation easily, and you're so nice. That's why." Marco groaned in response, "But... No... I dont want that. That's... No no. I dont like it..." "I can give you a weirdo make over." I said, smirking, "I never get talked to." He smirked, "Hush. And I dont even get why people are so interesting in me. It's kind of creepy..." I shrugged, "It's kinda weird but I'd use it to my advantage. You basically have an army." Marco just sighed and shook his head. "I dont like it..." He said. "Which photography students do you talk to?" Mikasa asked. "Franz and Hannah, mostly." He replied. "Oh my God they're so cute!" Sasha exclaimed. Marco laughed. I didnt know who those people were. I shrugged. "Franz and Hannah are photography majors and they're the cutest couple ever!" Sasha explained. I nodded, "Oh. I see." "They keep asking if I would introduce them to you, Jean." Marco suddenly said. I looked at him, narrowing my eyebrows, "Hah?" Marco was smiling. I was quiet. "... What the fuck does that look mean?" "It means they want to take pictures of you, Jean." He said. I sputtered, "What? The-The fuck?! Why?" "I'll take you to talk with them during lunch." He said. "Gah! What?! Fuck that!" I exclaimed. "You should go, dude!" Connie said. I was screaming internally. "No!" I said. Marco pulled me close to him, nuzzling his face into my neck. "Why should I?" I asked. "Because it'll help your confidence levels go up." Marco said, "It could really help. They said that since you've been looking more and more healthy, they want to shoot pictures of you." I felt my face get hot. Shit... I was actually iflattered... But I shook my head. "Will you at least meet them?" Marco asked. I nodded, "Sure..." "Thank you..." Marco replied.

So, we ate, then we went to the photography department of the college campus. I sighed, squeezing Marco's hand, as we went into the class building. I wasnt scared. I was just fucking confused and nervous. I was not the most attractive person so this was just... Baffling to me. Marco squeezed my hand back and we went into a classroom full of computers, cameras, wires, and other things that I was not allowed to touch. "Hannah!" Marco exclaimed. The girl who was sitting at one of the computers looked over. She had red hair that was tied into a ponytail, green eyes, and freckles. She smiled, "Hi! Marco!" She stood, coming over and hugging Marco. He hugged her back then she stepped away and turned to me, "Oh my God!" She looked at Marco, "You brought him." Marco laughed softly, "Yes." Hannah looked back at me. "I'm Hannah Diamant! You're Jean, right?" She said, holding her arms out for a hug. "Ah. Yeah." I said, hugging her breifly. "It's so nice to meet you! Hang on. Let me go get Franz." She then headed out of the room. Marco looked at me, "She's nice, isnt she?" I nodded, "Yeah..." Hannah returned with a tall guy who was very tan. He had a very short cut and brown eyes. He immediately smiled at me, "Hi! I'm Franz! It's nice to meet you, Jean." He held out a hand and I shook it, smiling nervously. "We've seen you with Marco and we think you'd be a perfect subject for a number of our assignments. Especially since you seem to look more lively lately." Franz explained as he let my hand go. I laughed a bit, "I'm really flattered. I'm trying to keep my health in check and people recognizing my efforts is really reassuring. Like, holy shit, you have no fucking clue. But. I feel like Marco would be better suited to do this kind of stuff." I said. "Jean..." Marco said. Franz and Hannah laughed a bit. "We think Marco is extremely handsome, for sure." Hannah said, "But you're what we're looking for." I nodded a bit, not getting, at all, why they'd want someone like me, "Right." "So. Are you willing to help us out?" Franz asked. I sighed, thinking... "... What would I be doing, exactly? Like, what assignments?" "Well. We have a few." Hannah said, flipping through her pocket sized notebook, "There are some fashion students requesting a model to wear their clothing. And then there are some outdoor peices we need to shoot." I blinked, feeling my face get hot, "You want me to do that many?" "If it's too much, we can just do one of them-" "No! No no. It's fine. I'm just... Wondering why you want me to be in so many. But okay. I'll do it or whatever." "Yay!" Hannah exclaimed. "Yeah. So. When do I start?" I asked. "Here." Franz said, handing me a sheet of paper with a calender printed on them. And on the days I would work, it said, "Jean: Assignment fashion" or "Jean: Assignment outdoors", etcetera. I raised an eyebrow at them, "You had this pre-made?" I asked. They looked at me nervously. "Anyways! We'd better get to lunch! See you later, Marco. And thanks! Both of you!" They then scampered out of the room. I rolled my eyes. "I'm really confused as to why they want me to do this but..." I said. "Oh come on." Marco replied, "You're really attractive... It's expected." I sighed, "Nobody besides you, my mother, and, like, the three people I've dated before has ever thought that. So I'm not used to it. I know what I look like." Marco laughed softly, pulling my close, "You'll get a lot more compliments. Trust me." "Why?" I asked. "Because you'll be in photos around the school." I smirked, "Whatever. I think you're way better suited for this shit." Marco just laughed, shaking his head, "Thank you... But I disagree... Come on. Let's go put those dates somewhere safe." The two of us went back to the dorm and I figured out which days I could do the shoots. I was such a loner though, that I could make all of them. And stay overtime if they needed it. Good job, Jean, on your fascinating life. The 30th was fucking crazy. It was a weekday but none of us went to class the next day. Eren's party had been massive.

The fifth of April was my first modeling thing. And Marco wanted to go with me and when I told Connie, he and the rest of the bozos wanted to go, too. I was extremely embarassed about that but they assured me that I shouldnt be and I agreed to them coming. The first one was for the fashion students. It was split into three days. They had an outfit and designer per day that they had me for the pictures. It was insane and I felt like I was getting too much attention for my ugly ass. They didnt give me a date to come in and fit the outfits to me. But this girl had made seven different fucking sizes of the same thing. And they had my size. Lucky guess. The girl who made them was very nice. And I recognized her as one of those freshman girls who'd asked me about Marco. I learned her name was Katty. Like Cat-tea. She was excited to see me. When she walked in and I had her outift on, she dropped all of her stuff. She'd made a really awesome pair of low-rise, baggy, blue jeans. And a standard white undershirt. The hoodie she'd made for it was a neon yellow, which I didnt know about. But that was okay. I didnt mind. "Hey..." I said awkwardly. She had just dropped all of her shit but... Whatever. She struggled to pick it all back up, and Marco bounded over to help her. Which wasnt a good move, as she just freaked out more. I blinked and turned away as she freaked out and Marco was just very confused. "Well then..." I said. "Come here, Jean! We need to make your face look more awake!" Hannah said. I smirked, heading over, "Thanks." I knew how dead exhausted I looked all the time. She laughed, "Have a seat." Then she patted the chair near her. I sat down, bracing myself. She put a ton of powdery shit on my face and did some other weird stuff. I didnt know what was happening. She wouldnt let me see a mirror. Marco came over at one point and smiled, promising me that I looked good. Yeah right. I didnt know what she was doing to my face. I figured this'd be a good time to ask questions. "So why did you want me to be your model?" "Well." Hannah started, "Katty expressed her image for the kind of model she wanted." "Which is...?" "Erm... How can I put this without it seeming offensive...? Able to... Look casual. But sexy at the same time?" She said. My face got really hot, "A-As far as I'm concerned, that's a compliment." I stuttered. "I almost said 'fuckboy' by accident. That is not the right word." She said. I laughed, "Fuckboy! Yeah. I dont know about that." I agreed. She laughed, too, nodding. When I saw myself in the mirror, I looked actually alive for once. Not like Warm Bodies zombie boy. My face had color, my eyes looked alive, my eyebrows were filled in which made me look even more pissed off than I already looked, and... "Did you put lipstick on me?" I asked. She smiled, "Yes! Your lips were already super pink but I needed to make them pinker. I figured contouring was useless because you'd just look odd if your face was even thinner." I smirked, "Thanks again." "Here are the shoes and jewlery!" Franz said, walking in with a shoe box. Which got everyone's attention. And Marco and Connie came over to where I was sitting. "Oh yeah. Should I take out my peircings?" I asked. "No! They're great. Leave them." Hannah said, smiling. I smiled a bit back, "Alrighty." Franz handed me the box and I sighed, opening it up. The shoes were new and they looked awesome. I had to be careful with them. "Dude you look awesome." Connie said. I smirked, "Thanks." "Jean. You look really... Good." Marco said, his face red. I laughed, "Right." I put on the shoes then I clipped on the dog tag necklace and slid on the rings and bracelet. "Okay..." I said. Hannah suddenly sprayed my hair and I jumped, nearly falling out of my seat, "Jesus H. Fucking Christ!" I exclaimed. Hannah laughed and started styling my hair. "Okay! Wait! Wait!" I exclaimed, sheilding my head. She didnt stop. "Stop!" I exclaimed, "Get your ass out of my tits for, like, two fucking seconds!" Hannah immediately died laughing and so did Franz, Marco, and Connie. "My God..." I said, snorting, "Let me brace myself." "Bro!" Connie exclaimed, "I dont think that's how you do it!" "I know how sex works, Connie!" I exclaimed, laughing slightly, "Jeez." "Can I just, like, please hug you?" Hannah asked, hugging me around my shoulders. I smirked, patting her arms, "Yeah whatever. You've already touched my face." She then finished styling my hair. And while I kind of wanted to see it, I didnt really want to look in the mirror again. So I just got in front of the backdrop and did what they told me to do. Katty and my squad were looking at the pictures as we went. My squad smiled at me the entire time and it was kind of distracting when Connie started holding up the middle finger for extended periods of time. At one point, Sasha leaned over and, literally, bit the apple Marco was eating, out of his hand. And the expression he made just made me crack up. "Jean!" Katty exclaimed, laughing. "I'm sorry!" I said, trying to surpress my laughter. The pictures ended soon and I got to change and take off the makeup and accessories as the others looked through the photos again. "Jean come see these!" Sasha exclaimed, "They're so good!" I sighed a bit and groaned, walking over. Marco stepped aside slightly and as soon as I saw the first picture, I noped out of there. "I cant. I'm too self conscious. Sorry." "Aww... Alright..." Marco said. "We get it!" Hannah said, "Sometimes it's weird to see yourself on camera! Hopefully you'll want to see them soon!" I smiled a bit, "Thanks." I had two jobs on the 11th and 12th. One for a fashion student and another for an outdoors shoot. As the jobs progressed that month. I became aware that my birthday had passed... And nobody had said anything.

It was the 17th now... It had been ten days since my birthday. I felt pretty shit... I woke up perfectly happy. Friday. Woot. But then we went to class and I remembered it. My confidence levels decreased by a shit ton... I didnt know why nobody had remembered... Nothing out of place was happening. Nobody was acting different... "I feel like... I'm missing something." I said as we were sculpting in the hallway. "Well you did take off your shoes." Connie said. I sighed a bit, nodding, "I did..." "Are you okay?" He asked. I nodded again. "Are you sure? You've seemed a little quiet lately." He said. "I'm fine, Connie." I said harshly. He backed off then. I managed to get everyone to only talk to me if they needed something like more clay or a paintbrush. But other than that, they didnt talk to me. That didnt include Marco, of course. He still talked to me. But it didnt make it any better considering he'd forgotton my birthday, as well. And the next two jobs on the 18th and 19th concluded my modeling time. Hannah and Franz thanked me for my help and I smiled and said it was no problem. I just wasnt worth celebrating, I guessed. I knew it already. On the 20th, Marco woke me up by gently shaking my shoulder, as per usual. But I didnt want to go today. I got up and went into the bathroom and stayed in there until I heard Marco leave. Then I came back out and just flopped back into bed. Fuck these people. They didnt remember their "best friend"'s birthday? What the fuck kind of friends were they? I just curled up under the covers. I suddenly felt tears prickling my eyes and I started to drift off. The modeling was helping my confidence. Until my friends forgot my fucking birthday. I slept until I felt someone shaking me. I blinked awake, sighing softly, and turning over, rubbing my eyes. It was Marco. He had his eyebrows knitted together. "Are you okay...? You never came to the cafeteria." I frowned a bit and turned away again, nodding, "Just wanna sleep..." I knew he was still there. I could feel him. "You've been really snappy lately... With everyone..." Marco said, "You arent okay..." I sighed softly, "It's to be okay when your friends forget about you..." Marco was quiet. Then he sighed, "Jean... Nobody has forgotton about you..." "Yes they have. Including you... And I dont need it..." "What are you even talking about...?" He asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. I pushed his arm away. "Jean. What is wrong?" He asked matter-of-factly. "It doesnt matter..." I said. "Yes it does!" He exclaimed. Then he literally pulled me out of the bed. Marco did not screw around. He lifted me up around my waist and I struggled until I realized he was not letting go. "W-What?!" I exclaimed. "We cant resolve anything unless you tell me what's going on, Jean." Marco said, his eyebrows narrowed and his eyes locked on me. I felt myself break. I dont know when the tears started coming but they did. It was a fucking stupid thing to cry about but I couldnt help it. I felt like shit. "You motherfuckers skipped over my goddamn birthday." I spit at him. His eyes widened slightly. Then he sighed and put me down, hugging me close. I wanted to push him away but I couldnt help but hug him back. I needed someone to comfort me. "Jean... Nobody forgot..." Bullshit. "Shut the fuck up, asshole. Nobody even wished me a Happy Birthday. I call fucking bull!" Marco pulled away slightly and cupped my face in his hands. He always did this when he wanted me to look at him. And it worked. He was smiling softly, "No one forgot, honey... I dont want to spoil the surprise but you've been like this for weeks so I figure I should tell you... We're celebrating your birthday and Connie's together. This Saturday. I'm sorry... I knew it wasnt a good idea to keep it from you because you'd feel this way but I agreed to not say anything... At this point, however, it's necessary." What?! The fuck?! I started crying for real now. Marco looked a bit taken aback but he hugged me close to him. "You are just not having a good time, are you...?" He asked. "I never fucking cried until I started dating you!" I yelled at him. This reminded me of something that had happened multiple times when I was home. Everyone would forget about it in my family, including my mother. And my friends would give me presents and we'd celebrate at school. And now the idea of my best friends forgetting about it plus my family, just destroyed me. Nobody in my family had called me to say happy birthday. It always fucking ties back to my childhood. I only ever cried if it was about my goddamn family problems. It took up 17 years of my life. 10+ years of feeling like fucking crap. I was only three years past that. So I was justified in crying about something making me feel worthless... "I just..." "I know..." Marco cut me off, "Tell me what happened..." I sighed, looking at him and forcing myself to calm down. "So... It happened multiple times but it was really bad my senior year. Not only did my family forget about it, but I got in a huge fight with my dad that evening. That was the day I got accepted to Coirtney. And my dad didnt like that... Because he'd already told me that I couldnt go here. It was just really fucking bad..." Marco nodded, understanding. "Right... Well I'm sorry for hiding it from you..." "No." I said, "I feel like the asshole... I know you were trying to do something fun... And I'm sorry that it didnt turn out like that..." Marco laughed softly, nuzzling his nose against mine, "Jean... If you're okay, I dont mind..." I smirked, "Shut up... You deserve to have some form of fun, you asshole..." Marco laughed more. "Hey! Rude!" He exclaimed, "Dont tell Connie, though." "Wait. Why didnt Connie say anything to me on my birthday?" I asked. Marco laughed, "We told him we were planning a party for you later on in the month." I laughed, too, "Oh my God. Okay." "He actually asked us if we wanted to plan a party for you. He didnt forget by any means. He just figures that this party that's coming up will be just for you." I laughed more, "Okay! Okay. I approve. He might pass out." Marco laughed softly and I grinned. "Love you." He said. "Love you, too." I replied, tracing the B on his wrist tattoo. Marco smiled. "Which sounds better?" He asked. "... What do you mean?" I asked. "Marco Kirchstein or Jean Bodt?" He asked. My face immediately started burning. "Shut the fuck up!" I exclaimed. Marco laughed softly. I sighed and pulled away, going to pull clothes out... "Either one is fine with me..." I mumbled. Marco laughed softly from behind me then he wrapped his arms around my waist and I leaned back against him. "You know you're the best?" He asked me. I snorted, "Whatever..." I got dressed then the two of us headed out. I didnt want to skip breakfast so Marco and I went to a restaurant. When we got back, we had to go through the front building to go the long way to class. And Marco suddenly stopped walking at the display for the fashion students. I stoppes, too, turning. "Jean look!" He exclaimed, pointing. It was a photo of me doing that first shoot in the jeans and neon hoodie. "Uughh..." I said. Marco laughed and kissed me multiple times on the mouth. "Jesus. What the Hell was that for?" "Because you look amazing!" He exclaimed. I laughed a bit. "Thanks..." I said. Marco smiled at me, "I'm really glad she let you keep that outfit in your size." "The jeans are fucking awesome, right? I'll wear them soon." I said. Katty had let me keep the outfit that was my size. She said that she could make another of the same outifit in that size, easy. But I didnt want to take it. She kept insisting, though. So I took it with a thank you. I hadnt worn any part of it yet. Even though the jeans were fucking awesome. "Good." Marco said, "The jeans look really good on you..." He said, smiling at me less than innocently. I smirked back, "Thanks." Marco then leaned over and, literally, bit my neck. I jerked away, "Hey!" I exclaimed, "I dont need a hickey! The other one took fucking ages to go away and it isnt even gone yet, you bastard!" Marco laughed and pulled me over to him by my waist. I smirked and kissed him breifly before pulling away and continuing to walk. Marco walked next to me, our hands intertwined. We were, at least, an hour late for class. We tried not to make a big deal of walking in but Connie yelled, "Did you do the sex?!" And then everyone noticed. "No!" I yelled back. "Jesus Christ, Connie!" "Look what I found!" Marco exclaimed, slamming a peice of paper in front of Reiner. It was one of the pamphlets that were out front of the fashion department. I didnt even notice that Marco grabbed one. "WOAH!" Reiner yelled, "Jean this is cool!" I smirked as Reiner passed it down to other people. Everyone gave me compliments when they saw it and I just said thank you and sat down.

After class was over, Connie, Sasha, Marco, and myself went to the studio building and as soon as we went in, I was hit with a huge scent of something. "Eug! What the-?" Connie exclaimed. Marco died laughing and I was confused as to why. We all looked at him and he just tried to compose himself. "Oh no..." He said, "Whoever is smoking right now is doing it wrong..." Oh. This was weed stink. I didnt know what it smelled like. I'd never done it before. But Marco knew for sure. "You should go get some, Marco." Sasha said. Marco laughed softly, "Why? Do you want some?" "Why not? We've never had it before." Connie shrugged. "Um." I said. They looked at me and I half smiled, "Dont leave me out." Marco smiled, "I dont know. I dont think I'm going to... I'm done with that." "Awww why?!" Sasha exclaimed. "Come on, Marco! For us?" Connie asked. Marco sighed, contemplating. "I shouldnt..." "Are you telling Thomas not to?" I asked, "Is that why?" Marco shook his head, "No no. I'm telling him not to do anything dangerous. But to use the marijuanaz carefully." "I cant take you seriously when you say 'the marijuanas.'" I said. Marco laughed softly. "Yeah... I can smoke it if I want to but... I shouldnt. I know it isnt bad for you but I need to do some work." I sighed, "Cant we just relax for once?" Marco looked at me, contemplating. Then he sighed, "Okay. I'm going to ask them." Marco said, heading to the studio building bathroom. I grinned. "Marco's so awesome." Connie said, "He's the mom friend. But the cool mom friend." I laughed, "Sure! I dont want Marco to be my mother because that's awkward but you believe what you want." Connie and Sasha laughed at that and I smirked. Marco soon came back out, shaking his head, "They dont have anything to give me but they gave me the number of someone who does." I sighed, "To be honest, I dont even know if I can have it." "Why wouldnt you be able to?" Marco asked. "My mom's allergic." I replied. "Oh... What kind of reaction?" Marco asked. "Anaphylactic." I said. Marco nodded a bit, "Well... If you ever try it, we'll be ready to take you to the hospital." He said. I smirked and nodded. Then Marco held his hand out to me and I took it. Connie and Sasha headed to their own studios and Marco and I went into my studio. "You've done a lot this month." Marco said, looking at my work. I smiled softly, "Yeah. I know... It's kind of ridiculous." "Why is it ridiculous?" "Because I'm not supposed to be a productive human being." I said. Marco laughed softly and came over to me, hugging me around my waist. "Can I ask you something...?" He said. I nodded a bit. "How are you feeling? I dont want to pry. But I'm wondering." I smiled wider, "I'm good, Marco... I gained three pounds. I guess I'm 124 now." "You're getting there." Marco said, smiling. I nodded, "Yeah. I'm glad, too... I guess I look better, too." "You're a lot more lively." Marco said, "And your skin's really soft..." He nuzzled his nose against mine and I grinned, "Yeah?" I asked. He nodded slightly.


	32. Ten Steps at a Time CH 20 (Jean)

That Saturday afternoon, Marco told me to hang out with Connie and I just smirked, already knowing what this was. I had to act like I was surprised, at least a little, though, when we walked into the commons building, Connie nearly died. He fell and everyone cracked up when he did. "Oh my God!" Connie exclaimed from the floor. "Calm the fuck down!" I exclaimed, laughing my ass off. "Did you already know about this or some shit, horsey?!" Connie exclaimed. I just kept laughing. "Why didnt you freak out?" I helped Connie up then said, "Y'know a horse's dick can grow to be-" "Shut up! I dont want to hear how big your dick is!" Connie exclaimed, walking over to everyone to give them hugs. Suddenly, Sasha bounded over to me and gave me a hug. "No!" I exclaimed, ducking away from her. "Oh that's how it's going to be?!" Sasha exclaimed back. "Yep!" I said, heading away from her. "Jean wont let me hug him, Reiner!" Sasha said. "JEAN!" Reiner yelled, "Come HERE!" Oh shit. "Do not hug me!" I exclaimed. Reiner kept coming towards me. Marco suddenly came out of nowhere and hugged me close to him, "I got this, Reiner!" He exclaimed. Reiner just jogged over and hugged both of us. "Urg!" I exclaimed, "My organs!" Marco looked like he was in just as much pain but he didnt make any sound. "I love you guys!" Reiner exclaimed. "Yeah...!" Marco strained, "Love you too... Let go now please... My back is cracking...!" Reiner put us down and we breathed a sigh of relief as he ruffled out hair and headed away. Marco took in a deep breath. "Thanks." I said to him. He smiled at me and kissed me softly once. I smiled back, "Your kisses are so sweet. Have I ever told you that?" I asked. He turned red and shook his head a bit, smiling wider, "No but thank you... I feel like you give the best kisses, though." I smirked and rolled my eyes, "Sure. Whatever." Marco nuzzled his nose against mine. "Stop kissing!" Eren exclaimed. I smirked and headed back over to the group, pulling Marco along. "Thank you guys for doing this." I said, "I thought you'd forgotten for a while there." "We'd never forget." Mikasa reassured. I smiled and nodded, "Thanks. I dont want to complain or whatever but..." Everyone looked at me, "Why the fuck do I have to share my party with the monkey?" I asked, pointing at Connie. Everyone laughed. "Hey!" Connie exclaimed, but he was laughing too. I grinned at him. I could have gotten drunk. But I didn't. I had a drink but I didn't get drunk. Instead, I talked with Marco and my friends. I was slowly realizing that these people who I'd met in college, Reiner and Bertholdt, Annie, Ymir and Christa, that they were just as much friends of mine as my high school squad and Marco. While we were all sitting around, Annie suddenly asked "Jean did you see the latest People magazine?" She was flipping through said magazine I shook my head, raising an eyebrow, "I dont read it. Why? What's in it?" "You." She said, "There's an article over Coirtney in it and the fashion department has a picture of you." I groaned a bit and she handed me the magazine, with the fashion department page open. There was a picture of me in Katty's outfit. "It's always me wearing that!" I exclaimed. "Those were the best pictures." Mikasa said, "The other ones were great but those ones were the best." "By the way," Marco said. I looked at him, "You look great in those jeans." He said, smiling at me. I was wearing those low rise baggy jeans today with the white undershirt and my Pink Floyd hoodie. I smiled, "Thanks." "Why did you decide to wear those today of all days?" Sasha asked, raising an eyebrow, obviously suspicious about how much I actually knew about this "surprise party." "Because it's the weekend and if I wore them on a class day, everyone would be going insane about it. I didnt think I'd have to see you motherfuckers today." Sasha died laughing. "Pff! Well thanks!" Reiner exclaimed. I grinned. "Does that include Marco?" Connie asked. "No." I said, "Marco is the only peice of shit I want to see one a daily basis." Marco leaned over and kissed my cheek. I smirked softly. "You're sweet." He said. "Marco!" Ymir exclaimed, "He just called you a 'peice of shit'!" Marco just laughed and shrugged, hugging me close to him. I grinned, "He doesnt care. He knows I love him." "I do." Marco agreed, "It's okay. That's just how he is." "Mhm." I agreed, "If he couldnt handle it, I dont think we would have even been friends." I said. Marco nodded. "Which reminds me." I said, "Thanks for putting up with all my shit. All of you." Everyone scoffed and waved it off. "When you're friends with someone, you do that." Bertholdt said. I nodded, "Yeah but you could be shit friends and not do that. But you do." "It's true but you put up with our shit, too." Eren said, "Like when my dad left. You were there." I smiled and nodded, "Well yeah. Of course. That was a given." I said. "See?" He continued, "It's a given for us, too, that we'd help you." "Actually, I'm kind of jealous that Marco got to deal with the end of some of your daddy issues." Connie said. Marco laughed softly, "Please don't be. It wasn't fun." "Yeah but it must have been satisfying to hear him say that he was going to try." Connie pointed out. I half smiled and nodded, "Yeah... It was." "Let's play Never Have I Ever! Like from our high school parties." Eren suggested. I laughed, "Yeah!" "How many fingers?" Bert asked. "Ten!" I exclaimed. Everyone held up ten fingers, "Marco you start." I looked at him and he smiled softly. "Um..." He said, "Never have I ever... Done modeling." He stuck his tongue out at me. "Oh I see how this is going to be." I said, putting down a finger. Christa, Annie, and Connie all put down a finger. "The fuck? Connie?" Everyone laughed. "Remember? I did it last year for those awesome light up glasses?" "Oh yeah!" I exclaimed, "Okay. Now I'm going. Never have I ever had shitloads of freckles." Marco laughed and put down a finger and so did Ymir. "Sorry, Ymir." I said. She smirked and rolled her eyes. "Never have I ever..." Armin started, "Run into a glass door or window." Almost everyone put a finger down, including both Marco and myself. I laughed, "Even you?" I asked Marco. Marco nodded, "Yeah. It wasnt fun. Sometimes the windows are too clean."

Marco and I left to go to our dorm at around midnight. The party was nowhere near done, but Marco and I were. Everyone had given me the presents they were saving, except for Marco. And I dumped all of them onto the floor next to my bed along with my Pink Floyd hoodie. Marco laughed at that. I grinned then Marco went into the closet. "Goddamn. You always keep presents in the closet." I said. He laughed softly then pulled out a pleather material jacket that was white and green and had "Jean-icorn" on the back of it, along with a middle finger. I laughed and grabbed it, "Holy shit! This is amazing! Best fucking boyfriend ever!" I exclaimed, pulling it on. "How does it look? Awesome?" I asked. Marco smiled and nodded, stepping over to me and pulling me close by my waist. I smiled softly and kissed him gently. He kissed me back and it soon became heated. I pulled off my new jacket and set it on my bed as Marco gently nibbled on my neck and pulled me closer by my belt loops. "Y'know you look really good in these jeans..." He said softly. I half smiled, "Yeah... I know you like them..." "You wanna do anything...?" He asked me. I sighed softly. I knew what I wanted to do. I was nervous but I wanted to. "Let's... Go all the way..." I said. Marco pulled away from my neck and locked eyes with me, "Are you sure?" He asked me with knitted eyebrows. I nodded, "I'm nervous but I want to..." Marco nodded slightly, "It will feel good, okay? Not at first... But it will eventually, alright?" He reassured me. I nodded, "Alright... I'll be okay... I trust you..." Marco smiled and kissed me, our tongues intertwining. He pulled me closer again by my belt loops and held onto them to keep me in one place. He kissed along my neck and I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Y'know... Eren and Connie were talking like I'd be the one topping..." I breathed. Marco chuckled into my neck, "Did they tell you I wasnt a virgin...?" I nodded and Marco sucked under my ear, coaxing a little noise out of me. He suddenly picked me up. "Hah?" I exclaimed. He then threw me down onto his own bed and crawled over me. I half smiled and he leaned in, kissing me passionately. "Mmh..." I hummed softly. He pulled away with a suck on my bottom lip. I tugged on the bottom of his shirt and he pulled it over his head, smiling softly and throwing it aside. I slid my index finger down his stomach. He kissed and licked at my neck, pressing his knee against my arousal. I gasped as he rolled his knee gently. "Mm..." He breathed, sliding his hands up my sides, under my shirt. I felt him thumb softly at my nipples. I jolted slightly and let out a breath. He pulled my shirt off and I immediately felt self conscious. I mean, he'd seen me without a shirt before. But the way he was studying my body felt different than before. He leaned in and gently sucked on one of my nipples, thumbing at the other. I let out a soft groan and he smiled softly. He licked in a circle at the skin and I laced my fingers into his hair. He sat back on his knees which caused my fingers to slide out of his soft locks. He reached down, undoing the button and zipper on my jeans then pulling them down and off, dropping them onto the floor. "Hng..." I sighed as he pulled them off of me. "Woah..." He said, noticing my lack of underwear. My face got hotter than it already was. "Y-Yeah..." I replied. "I mean... I wanted to get this out..." He slid a finger up my length and my legs jolted slightly along with something else. "Hah..." He wrapped his fingers around my arousal. "But..." He continued, "I didnt think it'd be so soon... Why arent you wearing underwear...?" "I f-figured they'd look better without my baggy b-boxers underneath..." "Dont you own a pair of breifs?" He asked softly. I nodded, "But those are for formal events..." Marco laughed softly, "Jean... You're dorky and I love you..." He praised. I half smiled and he pressed his thumb against the slit. "Ah..." I sighed. Marco milked me slowly a few times, coaxing sounds out of me. Then he undid the button fly on his jeans and pulled them off along with his underwear, tossing the clothes onto the floor. "You know you're really sexy, right...?" He suddenly said to me, placing his hands on my inner thighs and slowly spreading them apart. I moaned and my face got extremely hot. Marco slid his warm hands along my legs. Then he placed himself between them. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck as we kissed lovingly. I felt his arms snake around my torso and I sighed contently into his mouth. Suddenly, his hips rolled into mine and I shivered, moaning into his mouth. Our erections slid together slowly, over and over again. I heard a low sound emit from his throat. Marco suddenly pulled away from the kiss and stopped his movements. I whined in protest and he just smiled softly and reached over to his side table. I raised an eyebrow as he pulled out a bottle of liquid and a condom. "Are you serious? You fucking had that?" I exclaimed. The brunette above me laughed and looked at me as he closed the drawer and resumed his position. "Yes I did." He admitted, "I had to. You werent going to stay a virgin forever." It suddenly hit me. I knew it should have earlier but I didnt think... Marco noticed the expression on my face and he knitted his eyebrows together, "Hey... Are you okay...?" He asked. I nodded, "Yeah... Just... I'm gonna lose my virginity..." Marco was quiet, "D-Do you not want to...?" "No no!" I exclaimed, "It's just... A weird shock, I guess... This might be a bad time but... How did you lose yours'?" Marco blinked then smiled softly at me, "I lost it during the summer between my junior and senior years of highschool... He wasnt a good guy... I cant even remember his name... We were together for around two months... I mean, I was ready to lose it... I was okay... It's just that after it happened, he expected to do it a lot... Any way you can lose your virginity, I did to him..." I nodded slightly, "Right... Well... Hey... I'm really glad that I'm losing mine to you... I trust you..." Marco smiled wide, "I'm honored to take it..." I smirked, "Dork..." He laughed softly and leaned in, kissing me lovingly for a few more moments, before he leaned back. "Can you put your legs...?" He patted his shoulder. I sighed softly, "We'll see..." I said, lifting my legs up and resting them on either one of my boyfriend's shoulders. He smiled, "Good job." He praised, putting the condom down next to him and opening up the liquid. I sighed shakily as I watched Marco slick up his fingers. He then twisted back on the top and set it aside. "Okay..." He said gently, "I want you to relax..." I nodded slightly, trying my best to do so. I felt him rub gently at the ring of flesh down there. "Un..." I sighed, tensing up. "Relax..." He soothed. I relaxed slowly. But tensed up immensly when I felt his finger plunge in. It hurt. Bad. "Shiitt..." I hissed. "I know..." He said, his eyebrows knitted together. He gently moved his finger in and out, trying to get me used to the feeling. "Kh...!" I covered my mouth with my hand and Marco curled his finger. "Ohh Godd..." I gripped the sheets with my free hand. "Are you okay...?" He asked. "Hurts..." I strained. "I'm sorry..." He said. It was stinging and my legs were hurting, too. This was not pleasant. But I wasnt going to give up. I just had to stick it out. I trusted him. I took a deep and shaky breath, trying to loosen up. He suddenly pushed in a second finger and I nearly screamed. "Kgaah!" I exclaimed, my eyes starting to water. "I'm sorry..." Marco said, rubbing my leg with his warm free hand. He stopped moving the two digits inside me and I slowly got used to the feeling. "G-God..." I breathed. "Are you okay?" Marco asked. I nodded slightly. He then started slowly scissoring and curling his fingers. Which hurt, but not as terribly as before. "Fuckk t-this feels weird..." I breathed. "I know..." Marco replied, "It'll get better..." He was right. The pain was slowly being replaced by pleasure. Not huge amounts, but it felt better. I felt a third finger enter me. "G-Goddamn how many fucking fingers do you need to shove in me...?" I complained. Marco laughed softly, "Even if it's too much, I'd rather you be over prepared than under..." I sighed softly as my boyfriend continued his movements. Now it felt good. I let out a breathy moan and heard Marco chuckle slightly. His fingers pressed around my walls, like he was searching. "... W-What're you doin'...?" I questioned. He just smiled dazzlingly at me. This guy was a grade-A ass when he wanted to be. Suddenly, a huge jolt of the most amazing pleasure I've ever felt in my life shot through me. I gasped, feeling my toes curl and my stomach tighten. "Ohhh holy fuuckk..." I moaned. "There it is..." Marco breathed. Well, I guessed that my boyfriend had successfully figured out how to completely ruin me, in the best of ways. Warm fingers rubbed against that spot inside me again, making me moan. I panted softly as the fingers pulled out of me. I immediately missed the contact. Locking eyes with Marco, I could see how much he wanted this. His pupils were blown wide with lust and he was flushing furiously. He smiled at me softly then ripped open the condom, rolling it onto himself. Then he slicked himself with lube and I noticed, with satisfaction, the breathy sounds he made as he did so. I was starting to get nervous again when he pulled my legs down from his shoulders. I sighed shakily and wrapped them around his waist. Marco steadied himself above me, then moved his gaze to my face, "Are you ready...?" He asked. Shit. I nodded. "Tell me if you need me to do anything or stop, okay...?" He was so fucking sweet. Goddammit. I nodded again. And that was it. My freckled lover held my hips firmly and pushed against my hole gently. My heart raced. Then he plunged in, not stopping. I gasped, gripping onto his wrists. It hurt. It was not like his fingers. He didnt stop until he was completely sheathed inside me, the both of us panting. He locked eyes with me and I could tell he was resisting the urge to just start moving. "A-Are you alright...?" He sighed. I gulped, letting out a strained sound, "I-I dont k-know... H-Hurts..." Marco nodded in response, understanding, then he peeled a hand off of one of my hips and slid his fingers through my hair. I let his wrists go and snaked my arms around his neck. "You're doing really great, Jean..." He praised. I half smiled, feeling the pain subside. "You just tell me when you're ready..." I nodded, "I-I am..." He smiled softly and pulled his hand out of my locks, resting his arms on either side of my body. He then rolled his hips gently, experimenting. It coaxed a soft moan out of him and a quiet strained noise out of me. He started rolling his hips in a slow rhythm. "Uhhk..." I managed, lacing my fingers into his soft hair. It started feeling good soon after that and I felt my muscles slowly loosening up. "Hahh..." I moaned quietly. I felt Marco pull out slightly then plunge back in, beginning a new rhythm that was quicker. He groaned and started paying attention to my neck. "Ahh..." I sighed as his hips rolled his dick up into me. He sucked on my neck, letting out little noises now and then. "F-Feel good...?" He breathed into my neck. "Yeah..." I sighed. "Tell me if I'm being too rough..." He said, picking up the pace and pulling out farther than before in order to start slapping softly into me. I groaned slightly, my legs shaking, rolling my hips in time with his'. "Hnm..." He moaned, "You're t-taking me so nicely..." He flicked his hips particularly well and hit that part inside of me. I gasped shakily and moaned loudly, my toes curling again and my back arching. "Ahhaa right there ohhh fuckk..." I panted. He chuckled softly and started hitting that spot over and over again. I opened my mouth in a silent scream as he pounded into me. He groaned and bit at a spot on my neck. "Ohhh shhhiiittt..." I moaned. He sucked softly on my neck then licked at it before sitting back slightly. My arms fell from his neck and he gripped onto my hips, stopping them from moving. I held onto the sheets, preparing myself. He started a fast and hard pace, slamming into my sweet spot every time. I let out a loud moan, my back arching. I wasnt able to move my hips but it felt good. This had to have been the best feeling I had ever experienced. His balls slapped against my ass and the bed creaked softly. "Ahhh fuuckkk...!" I exclaimed. "Haahh... I didnt... Expect you to... Last this long..." Marco moaned. I didnt either. But I felt awesome for lasting. "Godd it feels soo good..." I breathed, feeling saliva sliding down the corner of my mouth. "You look so good..." Marco said, "So hot... You love this, huh...? The way you're sucking me in... Ohh yess..." My dick twitched. I didnt take Marco as being the type to talk dirty but... It was sexy. He picked up the pace again. I started panting as his dick fucked my sweet spot. "Ahhh oh God plleeaase! Ohhfuckkyess!" I exclaimed. I rolled my hips and he let me, letting out a groan. I couldnt help but pant harder. The bed creaked louder. "Ohh Jeann... Your so pretty... Taking in my cock... You like that, huh...?" I moaned loudly. "Fuck yeahh!" I exclaimed. He reached over and pulled my legs over his shoulders, effectively allowing him to aim better. "AhhhhhFUCK!" I exclaimed, "Uh! Marccoo ohh shitt! Your so good!" Marco moaned loudly at that. I felt my stomach tighten up. "Wreck me, Marcoo!" I exclaimed. He pounded roughly into me. "Fuckimunacummm!" I yelled, panting and moaning. I was on the brink of my orgasm, when he stopped moving completely. "Kkkghhh...!" I spluttered, shaking, "F-Fuuckkk...! Ahhh fuckk...!" I locked eyes with the brunette above me and he was panting very hard, looking sexy as fuck. He slid a hand up one of my legs. "Oh God please, Marco..." He leaned in and we kissed wetly, my right leg sliding down off of his shoulder and hooking into the crook of his elbow. I snaked my arms around his neck. When he pulled away, I panted softly, sticking my tongue out slightly. "I'm doing this so it'll feel better when you come..." He said. I nodded slightly. I knew why he stopped and I knew my orgasm was going to be explosive now. I groaned as he leaned in again, sucking on my tongue and keeping his eyes locked on mine. He rolled his hips in an even pattern against my sweet spot. "Haahh..." I breathed. His tongue slipped into my mouth and we kissed roughly. Then he started slapping into me quickly and I felt my orgasm bubbling up again. But this time it felt stronger. I let out moans into my boyfriend's mouth and he made noises of his own. Then he pulled away from the kiss, giving my tongue one last suck, a string of saliva connecting our lips. I felt him grip my dick, milking it roughly as he pounded into me. I panted hard, closing my eyes and feeling them roll into the back of my head. My back arched widely and I gripped onto my boyfriend hard. "H-hhhaaahh-AH! UHHH!" I sobbed loudly as intense white hot pleasure rolled over my body in massive waves, my legs quaking and my hips rolling to meet Marco's. "F-Fuckk yess!" I cried out. My cum shot onto my stomach and on the bed slightly. "Nhh... Jeaann..." Marco sighed softly into my ear as he continued his quick pace. "Hhh-Uh!" I moaned. Then I heard Marco's breath hitch and he suddenly let out a long, loud moan as he pounded into me, eventually slowing down. His hips continued to roll into mine, "Hnnahh..!" He exclaimed. Then he stuttered to a halt, letting out a couple more soft moans. We were both panting and sweating. I realized that Marco still had my dick in his hand when he slid his hand up it slightly and I twitched in the aftershock. He rolled his hips once more then pulled out, sitting up and letting my legs drop onto the bed. He sighed softly and pulled off the condom then tied it up and tossed it into the trashcan next to the bed.

"God..." I panted softly. Marco leaned down and gently licked my cum off of my stomach. I sighed softly as I tried to even out my breath. "Mm..." I hummed. Marco chuckled and rolled over next to me when he was done, pulling the comforter over us. "I'm gonna be sore..." I said. "I know..." Marco agreed. "But that was fucking amazing." I said, kissing him once. He laughed softly and smiled, "I'm glad you liked it..." He pulled me closer to him by my waist. "You were so pretty..." He said, "I mean, you still are... But, God..." I half smiled. "You were so loud..." He said. I laughed softly, "Sorry..." He shook his head, "As long as you're okay with yelling, I'm okay with it..." "Man... Y'think everyone heard?" I asked. "Well, everyone in this hall probably did." Marco responded, nuzzling his nose against mine. I laughed slightly, "Yeah... Probably... Goddammit." Marco laughed softly and I half smiled. He was so perfect and gorgeous... He was my favorite person by far... I put a hand on the side of his face and he locked eyes with me, smiling wide. We were quiet. "I love you so much..." I said. Marco leaned in and kissed me once softly, "I love you, too..." "I dont think you understand." I responded. Marco's smiled faded and he just looked confused now. I laughed softly, "You're the best person in my life... I dont even know how I fucking lived before you showed up... I am so grateful for everything you've done for me and put up with for me. I dont deserve you but I'm not complaining... You're amazing... Your eyes, your freckles, your lips, the way your nose scrunches up when you're confused, like right now... And, guess what? Even though that scar is fading from that stuff you've been using on it... I think it makes you ten times sexier... I couldnt even ask for anyone more perfect because I'm pretty sure they dont exist... You're so caring and patient and giving and beautiful and oh my God I would do anything for you and I really want to be able to have more oppourtunities to do things for you because you deserve it... You're an amazing artist and you're going to be so famous and I'm dating you..." "Are you proposing to me or something?" Marco asked, very red. I laughed softly and leaned in, kissing his nose, "No... I just want you to know how important you are to me..." He smiled, "Jean... You're important to me, too... You act like there's only one person being influenced in a good way from this relationship..." I smirked, "The fuck? How have I influenced you in a good way?" "Well..." He started, "You've taught me that I dont need to be stressed about everything... That people need to have space in order to figure things out... And how to be realistic. Your opinions may not be the most popular among our class but they're the most deep and realistic ones... And they're the most popular among me. Plus... You've really shown me how strong people can be... I used to think that weak people can only be weak... When, in fact, weak people can become strong... You are strong... That night during Spring Break when I said you're weak... You were never weak... You told your dad that you and I were dating... And you always had that strength in you. You're so strong." I was going to cry. Marco laughed softly, "Aww... Jean." He said, reaching over to wipe my tears away. I slapped his hand away, "Get the fuck away!" I exclaimed. "But I havent even said what I like about your beautiful face..." He said. "No!" I turned away from him and he laughed, pulled me close to him again. My back pressed against his chest. "You're really handsome..." He began. I sighed softly, "I love your body structure... You're seriously like a model, especially recently when you've looked more healthy... Your face is a great shape and your eyes are so pretty, Jean. They're the prettiest shape and color. And your nose may not be round but I still think it's the cutest thing. I'm also obsessed with your half smile. Your lips make the cutest shapes. Your blush spreads to your ears, which is the best thing I have ever seen... And when it comes to the type of guy I like, the jawline is a big thing. It has to be as sharp as a butcher knife. And guess what you have?" I snickered softly, "A jawline that can cut your face?" Marco nodded slightly, nuzzling his face into my hair, "Mhm... And y'know what else I think is attractive...? Your peircings. They make you look so sexy and rugged..." I laughed slightly, "Oh really?" "Mhm!" He replied. I smirked, "You have a fucking bellybutton peircing..." "Yeah but-" "Yeah but it's sexy." I cut him off. He laughed softly. "And you have two tattoos, Marco. You're sexy as fuck. I'm just fucking white boy trash. At least you look somewhat exotic." Marco laughed, "What?!" He exclaimed, "I do not!" "Marco your skin is tan, your hair is a gorgeous brown color, and your lips are full, you have the best body ever, you-" "Okay okay." He cut me off. We were silent... "I love you." He said. I smiled softly, "I love you, too..." We talked for a few more minutes then I drifted off.

When I woke up the next morning, oh my fucking God my ass, my legs, my back, my neck, my arms, my shoulders. Everything hurt! I was so fucking achy that I could barely even roll over. But when I let out a strained noise, I realized that Marco was already awake when I felt his hand rub my arm. "Hey... You okay...?" He said softly. "Fuck I'm in a shit ton of pain..." I breathed. "I'm sorry..." Marco said. "It's fine..." I replied, "I just... Need a shower. That'll help." Marco nodded, "Need help getting up?" "Yep." I said. He stood, pulling on his underwear and jeans from the night before. Then he went over and grabbed a towel. I sat up, my back cracking loudly. "Shit... Didja hear that?" I said. Marco nodded and came over to me, helping me up. I grabbed the towel and wrapped it around my waist, "Thanks..." I said. He handed me a washcloth. "I should probably shower, too..." He said. I smirked, "You should come in the same shower with me." I teased. He laughed, "Jean..." I stuck my tongue out of the corner of my mouth and leaned in, kissing him softly once. Marco grabbed a towel and washcloth of his own then the two of us headed out into the hallway. "Oh my God my legs are dying..." I groaned. "I'm really sorry." I shook my head, "Stop apologizing. It's fine." He nodded, "Right." "Marco you're beautiful!" Someone yelled from down the hall. We both stopped and Marco looked behind him with wide eyes. He recognized the voice. "Who is it?" I asked, turning, too. Gerald. Fuck him. We didnt need this right now. "Fuck off, asshole! Didnt you get changed to a different fucking dorm building?!" I yelled right back. "What I cant come visit?!" He asked as he walked down the hall towards us. Marco got in front of me and I couldnt help but feel my face get hot. I liked Marco protecting me. I mean, I was in no state to fight anyone. "How are you, Marco?" "Go away, Gerald. I'm serious." Marco said. "Why isnt Jean pouncing again?" He asked, "I wouldnt mind having a rematch." "He isnt fit to. Just go away." Marco said. "Oh what? He cant? Why? Did someone finally beat him up for being an ass?" "Yo Gerald." I said. He looked at me and I grinned, "Your crush, Marco here, fucked his boyfriend last night for the first time. AKA me. So that's why I'm in no state to fight. I got railed into the matress by this perfect man right here." I patted Marco's shoulder. Gerald looked horrified and disgusted at the same time, "The fuck?!" Marco laughed, shrugging, "Yeah... That did happen. Sorry not sorry, Gerald." Gerald looked like he was about to explode. Then Marco turned to me and put an arm around my shoulder, leading me back down the hall. And when I looked back over my shoulder(as much as I could), Gerald was gone. I sighed with relief and Marco laughed, "Jean that was really funny! I was trying not to crack up at his face!" I laughed softly, too, "I heard you laugh anyways!" I exclaimed. He nodded, "I know! I couldnt hold it in!" We took our showers then we headed back to the room to get dressed.

I barely felt any better as I got dressed into a pair of blue jeans. Marco picked up our dirty clothes and put them into the hamper. Which reminded me that laundry was something that had to get done today. I groaned. "I'll do it this week, okay?" He said. "But it's my turn." I said. "That's okay." He reassured, smiling. I smiled softly back, "Thanks..." He nodded and kissed me softly once. "D'you mind if I wear this?" I asked, pulling his Avengers sweatshirt out of his drawer. "No. I dont mind." He replied. I pulled it on and just put on my pair of Uggs, heading into the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair and put in my contacts. I finished that up and came back out, picking my birthday presents up off of the floor and putting them onto my bed. One of them was an acoustic guitar in a case. Mikasa had given it to me. I used to play in high school but I had to sell that guitar because I felt bad that my mom paid for my college career so I wanted to chip in. And I got a good amount of money for it. I set that up against the wall. "I want to hear you play that at some point soon." Marco said. I smiled softly, "Yeah... I'm probably really rusty..." Marco wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, "Are you feeling any better?" He asked me. I shook my head, "Not really. Kinda." "Do you want some asprin or something?" I nodded then Marco headed into the bathroom and came out with two pills of the same kind and a glass of water. I took the pills and drank the rest of the water. Marco put the cup back into the bathroom then the two of us headed out of the room, Marco locking the door behind us. "Hey guys!" I heard Connie's voice. I turned towards the sound(I was having trouble moving around a lot). Connie was walking over with Eren and Armin. "Hey." I responded. "Hi." Marco said, smiling and putting his key into his pocket. "Man that was a fun party!" Connie exclaimed, putting an arm around my shoulders as the five of us headed to the stairs. "Yeah." I strained slightly. We headed out of the dorm building and out into the courtyard, which was snow free. "Thank fuck that mush is gone." I said. "Aww c'mon, Jean! Dont be a buzzkill." Armin said. I rolled my eyes. Connie patted me on the back really hard. "Ow!" I exclaimed. He gave me a weird look, "What the Hell?" "Are you okay?" Eren asked. I heard Marco chuckle and I turned, glaring at my boyfriend as we walked. He stopped laughing when he saw my expression then he winked at me and I couldnt help but smile slightly. I really tried but I just could not be mad at him right now. "Ohhh shit!" Connie exclaimed. Yep, he'd figured it out. He had certaintly learned how to be more observant over the years. He used to not be able to catch anything. I looked back at him as we went into the cafeteria. "Did you lose it?!" He exclaimed really loudly. "Shut the fuck up!" I exclaimed back, punching his shoulder hard. Connie ran over to the table that we all usually sat at and everyone in Pixis' class were already there. "Jean finally lost his virginity!" He yelled to our friends. Reiner immediately stood up and Ymir started choking on her food. "Connie..." I groaned. Reiner looked at me intensely when I headed over to the table with the other three guys. I couldnt help but laugh slightly. But it soon got bad when he picked me up for a bear hug. I nearly cried, "Owowowowowow! Fuck!" "Let him down!" Marco exclaimed, "Oh God!" Reiner let me go after a few moments and I nearly collapsed but Marco held me up. "What? Did I kill him?" "No! He's just... Sore..." Marco replied. I groaned and slapped my forhead. Everyone at the table started cheering. "Go Jean!" Eren exclaimed, "We should have a party!" "Guys..." Marco said. I sighed. "Okay okay." Connie said, "But seriously! Congrats, Jean!" He patted my shoulder then we all sat down. "Oooh!" Sasha exclaimed, leaning over and poking my neck. "Stoppit!" I knew there were a few marks there that Marco had made. "Jesus Christ..." "Aww! Our little Jeanny-boy has grown up." Sasha said. I punched her shoulder and she laughed, "Ow!" "Hey! You cant hit a girl!" Reiner exclaimed. "I just did." I responded. Sasha was just dying of laughter. "Do you not go by that rule?" Ymir asked. I shrugged, "It depends on the situation. If I'm kidding around and play punch or hit her shoulder, I think it's fine. Also, if she's literally about to stab me, I think it's okay. Other than that, no." Almost everyone at the table shrugged, not agreeing completely. "Makes sense to me." Eren agreed. "Thanks, man." I said. "I understand, too." Marco said. "Thanks, Marco." I replied. Marco leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Jean." Mikasa said. I looked at her, "You should play your guitar for us later on." "Ehh..." I said. "Come on. I didnt buy that for you so you could stare at it." She continued. Dammit. I sighed, "I probably cant even play anymore but fine..." "You have all these hidden talents." Marco suddenly said, "I'm kind of jealous." I looked at him. The Hell? He stared at me, putting his hands up in defense, "What's that expression-" "Shut the fuck up, Marco!" I exclaimed, "The fucking fuck are you talking about?!" Marco laughed and hugged me close to him, "I'm saying that you're talented!" "Well you're fucking wrong!" "No I'm not! Jean you're going to do great things." He said, smiling wider. "I'm gonna punch you in the face!" "Jean you're soooo talented!" Connie yelled at me. And pretty soon everyone at the table was exclaiming how talented and awesome I was. "I'm going to leave!" I yelled, feeling myself becoming flushed. But Marco held me in place. I groaned, just going limp in his arms and tuning everyone out. "Okay. I think he's had enough praise for today." Christa said. "More like the rest of the goddamn year!" I exclaimed. Marco laughed softly and kissed my cheek. I rolled my eyes, "You're an ass, Marco." "Hey!" He exclaimed, laughing. I struggled in his grip and he let me go. I got up with some difficulty and went to go get breakfast. "Jean!" I heard. Hannah was running over to me and we went into line together. "Hey." I said. "Hi!" "Whatcha need?" I asked. She smiled, "Nothing. I just like hanging out with you." I smiled, "Yeah. Okay." Nobody had really said that to me other than my highschool friends and Marco. "I'm sorry. Do you mind?" I heard Marco's voice from behind me. "Oh! No! Go ahead, Marco." Some girl said. Then I felt Marco's hand on my back and he came up next to me. I smiled at him and he smiled back. "Where's Franz?" Marco asked. "Oh yeah. He's still sleeping. He was up all night working on a project." Hannah explained. "Oh." Marco said. The three of us got food. "Do you mind if I sit with you guys?" She asked. "No! Come on in." Marco said, leading the two of us back to the table. Marco introduced Hannah to he others who didnt know her then we sat down. "I like your sweatshirt, Jean." Hannah poked said sweatshirt. "Ah. It's Marco's." I said. "Falcon is looking pretty good there." She responded. I looked down and raised an eyebrow. "Who the frick is Falcon?" Ymir asked. "Falcon is one of the first Avengers." Marco said, pointing at him on the sweatshirt. Then Eren chimed in, "And so are Goliath and the Was-" Eren was cut off by Marco throwing sugar packets at him and saying, "Fuck off!" To which Eren cracked up. "Can I just say something?" Eren asked. Marco stared at him, waiting. Eren laughed more then said, "Black Widow and Hawkeye werent part of the very first Avengers! They came in later on in the comics. It was only Iron Man, Goliath, the Wasp, Falcon, the Hulk, Captain America, and Thor. Plus, Hawkeye is an asshole." "Your mom is an asshole!" Marco exclaimed. Then he threw the ketchup bottle on the table at Eren. "Ow! Jesus Christ!" "Why the Hell arent Goliath, Falcon, and the Wasp in the Avengers movie, then?" Connie asked. Marco sighed, "They said they wanted the 'originals' to be in the movie but that's bull. I mean, I'm not conplaining. Hawkeye is in the movie whether he should be or not. And Falcon is in Age of Ultron so it's getting better. I do want really the Wasp and Goliath in the movies, though." "Hawkeye is so fucking rude in the Avengers show. Like, the cartoon." Eren said. Marco sighed, "He's always like that. He's the obnoxious character." "Well then what the fuck?! Why do you like him?" I asked. Marco kissed my cheek softly, "I like the asshole type." I rolled my eyes, "Fuck you." "Maybe some otherjej time." He responded. Everyone started whistling and cat calling and my face got very hot. "Shut up!" "Anyways. Hawkeye." Marco said. "Is She-Hulk smarter than the Hulk?" Connie asked. "I think so." Marco said.

Later on, we were sitting in the commons building and Marco had forced me to bring my guitar but he wasnt even there. He said he had an appointment for something and he'd be back in a half hour or whatever. "So what happened last night exactly?" Ymir asked me. "Ugh. You want to know what happened exactly? That's a little weird." I responded, tuning the guitar. "Not exactly!" She exclaimed, "Just what happened after you guys left the party?" Everyone was suddenly listening. I sighed softly, "So... We went back to the dorm. And he gave me his present to me which was a, like, pleathery white and green and has 'Jean-icorn' on the back of it and a middle finger. Best fucking present ever, by the way." Connie laughed, "Oh my God! Wear it!" "What the fuck? Do you think I'm just gonna let it collect dust? Of course I'm gonna wear it!" I said. "Continue your story!" Eren exclaimed. "Wait!" Connie interrupted, "Question! Who topped?" I sighed, groaning, "Connie I am sore from head to toe. Who do your think topped?" Everyone laughed and Connie just rolled his eyes, "Dude! I dont know these things!" "So I told him that I was fine with y'know... Doing the do. And he was like-" I put on a deep voice. -"'I dont bottom the first time I do it with my partner.'" "He said that?" Sasha asked. I nodded, "Yeah." "What was that voice you put on for Marco?" Bertholdt asked, laughing slightly. I laughed, too, "I dont know. I just did a random voice. But, yeah, he said that." "Wow. I didnt expect him to not let you decide which you wanted to do." Sasha said. I shrugged, "I understood why. Honestly, I think he did it more for me than for himself. If I wasnt a virgin on bottom I think he would have been more than willing to let me be on top." I said. "You know him really well so I trust that." Bert said. I smirked, "Can I tell you guys something that'll probably change the way you see him?" Everyone looked at me skeptically. "If he's okay with you saying it." Mikasa said. "I dont think he minds as long as you guys dont spread it around-Reiner!" Reiner boomed with laughter, "If it's Marco's secret, I wont say anything! Dont worry!" "Okay. He talks dirty." I said. "What?" Sasha exclaimed, "He does?!" I nodded, "Yup!" "I wouldnt mind someone like Marco talking like that to me." Mikasa said. "You think I minded?" I asked, "I loved it! Are you crazy?" Mikasa smiled. "Wow, Jean!" Eren said. I rolled my eyes, "He's my boyfriend and I think he's the best looking person in the universe. Of course I dont mind." Reiner laughed, "Dont worry, Jean! We all think he's good looking! Because he is!" Everyone mumbled in agreement. "I'm straight and I even think so." Connie said. "Holy shit." Eren said. Everyone looked at him, "You're straight?" Everyone started cracking up then. "Hey!" Connie exclaimed, "What the Hell?! I have a girlfriend!" "That doesnt prove anything!" Eren exclaimed. "That's the funniest thing I think you've ever said, Eren." I said, grinning. "What?" He exclaimed. I stuck my tongue out. "Hellooo?" We heard from the doorway. I recognized his voice and smiled. "Hellooooo!" Some of us replied as Marco walked over, smiling. "Here." Armin said, scooting aside so Marco could sit next to me. He did so, kissing me on the cheek. "Have you started playing yet?" He asked. I shook my head, "Where'd you go? Like, what were you doing?" "I just went to a job interview thing. I'm just trying to get a job as a waiter at one of the fancy places nearby. To be honest, I think a job interview is a bit much." He laughed softly. "Oh okay." I said. "You had better get that job, Marco!" Sasha exclaimed. Marco smiled, "Hopefully!"


	33. Ten Steps at a Time CH 21

Hello, author here.

Chapter 21, unfortunately, doesn't exist. Sad day :(

It was lost in the winds of time.

Luckily, from chapter 20 to chapter 22, nothing really happens and you don't need to know what happened in 21 to continue reading.

Have fun!

I hope you're enjoying my 5 year old fanfiction.


	34. Ten Steps at a Time CH 22 (M)

School ended a day or two later, Pixis giving us our summer assignments and things. We celebrated at my mom's baby shower in early June and Jean came to visit. Thomas, Mina, and Hitch were there, too. She revealed that it was a boy. Which I was excited about now. I didnt think it was so stressful, anymore. For my birthday, I spent it with my family, Jean, and my three best friends. "Thomas. I have a question." Jean was saying as we approached the tree that Jean and I had confessed at. He was carrying his guitar. It was interesting, getting the case over the fence. "Would you sing along with a Drake song if-" "Oh my fucking God.." I said in disbelief. He was still obsessed with that. Jean laughed, "Hey!" "What's happening?" Thomas asked. "He's asking you if you'd rap a Drake song with him." I said. "I dont know any Drake songs." Thomas said. "Aw man... Okay." Jean set his guitar case on the ground. "Remember when you fucked that guy here during highschool, Marco?" Hitch suddenly said. I spluttered. Jean immediately picked up his case and made a face at the ground. I laughed, "Jean!" He went to the other side of the tree and put the case down over there. Hitch laughed, too. "That was my reaction four years ago!" Thomas yelled, "Dude! You cant be doing butt stuff with people here!" We all laughed. Jean pulled his guitar out of the case and I saw him disappear into the branches of the tree. I smiled softly. "Jean is a monkey, apparently." Mina said. "A monkey with a musical instrument!" Jean exclaimed, "I dont even have to start. You can already put money in the case, muggles." I laughed. "What are you even doing up there?" Hitch asked. "Getting my groove on. Ready?" Jean said. We couldnt even see him. We were quiet, waiting. He started strumming the guitar. It was nice. We walked around to the other side of the tree and I could see him sitting in the branches. "Dont scratch the instrument." I warned. "Okay, Mom." Jean replied. "Do you sing?" Mina asked. "No." Jean replied. I sighed, "I've already tried to get him to sing. It's hard to break him on this one." "You should sing a country song, Jean." Thomas said, climbing into the tree on the other side. The girls sat next to his guitar case and I sat at the lowest point in the brances of the tree. "The only country song I know is Forever and for Always." "That's such a girly song, bro." Thomas said. "Well, a girl did write it..." I said. "Shhh!" They all hushed me and I laughed softly. "I know Unconditionally, too." Jean said. "By Katy Perry? Dafuq?" Thomas asked. Jean nodded. "... Why?" Hitch asked. "I had to learn it for something Sasha and I did in highschool." He responded. "Oh." I said. "Marco." Thomas said. "Yeah?" "Are you going back to your X-Men phase? Why are you wearing that sweatshirt?" He asked. I was wearing a sweatshirt with a ton of X-Men on it. I laughed, "Thomas, if this is a 'phase', I dont think I'd still be obsessed with it." "You're obsessed with X-Men, too?" Jean exclaimed, "Why did I never know that?" "Because I never wore anything that showed it off. But it should have been a given. I said I like superheroes from Marvel and DC." I replied. "But you havent been talking about Huge Jackman!" Thomas exclaimed, "It's only been Hawkeye! I mean, you talked about him last year. And I dont know what you talk about when you're at Coirtney. But I havent heard anything about Huge Jackman since last year." "He doesnt talk about X-Men at all at Coirtney." Jean said. "He used to be obsessed with X-Men and Huge Jackman." Hitch said. "Didnt I already say that I still am?" I asked. "What happened to loving Hawkeye?" Jean said. "No. Hawkeye is my favorite Avenger. Huge Jackman can... Fuck me if he wants to." They all started cracking up. "Jesus Christ!" Jean exclaimed. I shrugged, smiling, "It's true! I would let him do anything to me! If he said 'I need a chair.' I would get down on my hands and knees and be his chair." "Are you fucking kidding me?" Jean yelled. "No!" I yelled back, "I'm not!" "Well I wouldnt be okay with Huge Jackman fucking my boyfriend." He said. I laughed softly, "I'm sorry, Jean. But you're just going to have to come to terms with it." Jean laughed, looking down at me from the branch he was sitting on. He was grinning, "Seriously, Marco?" "Yes! I'm saying, he's beautiful! You are, too. But this isnt about you. This is about Huge Jackman and if he wanted to do butt stuff with me, I'd allow it." Jean died laughing. "Okay. Whatever!" He exclaimed. "I'm just saying." I said. "Okay." Jean replied. "His name is Huge for a reason." I said. "Shut up!" My friends yelled at me in unison. I laughed. "I also love Mark Ruffalo." "We know." Jean said. I laughed softly, "Jean. Sing something." I said. "Hm. Nah." "Please?" I asked, "For me?" "I cant sing!" He exclaimed, "I'm bad at it." "Jean. Please? It's my birthday." I said. He was quiet then he started strumming a gorgeous melody, "Running through the six with my, with my-" I sighed, "-I was running through the six with my woes. And you know-" "Just stop." I said, genuinely dissapointed. Jean didnt play for the rest of the time we were out there.

That evening, we were up for a while after my family went to bed. We were sitting outside. "You're really attatched to that guitar, Jean." I said. He shrugged slightly, plucking the strings. I sighed slightly, staring up at the starry sky. "... Are you sad...?" He suddenly asked. "Hm?" I looked at him. He looked down at his fingers as he played, "When the stars come out, do they remind you of it? How can you do that? Teach me, because I'm fucking bad at it." Then I realized... He wasnt singing but... He was speaking in lyrics and was playing the guitar as these words rolled off of his tongue less than smoothly. "Maybe I should leave," He continued, "I hope you understand well enough. It's quiet and dark and you brighten it up. And it's quiet and dark and I fuck it up. Teach me how to do it... Because I'm fucking bad at it." He sighed, his face and ears pink. I smiled softly and listened closely. "I dont pity you. And you dont pity me. We're both idiots who dont understand what's going on. The world is painful. Nothing is easy to see. I only want you... But I suck at words, Marco. I cant love you enough. And I cant show you through my actions. Because I'm selfish and hot headed." He shifted, embarassed. I just kept listening. "I've learned to be cold and you've learned to be beautiful. How the fuck does that even work? Teach me because I fucking suck at everything. I turn things to mush and you turn things to diamonds. Perfect asshole who I cant get enough of..." He stopped plucking. We were quiet. "... Did you write that?" I asked. He nodded, "I-I told you I suck at-" I cut him off with a hug. He slowly wrapped his arms around me and I buried my face in his shoulder. "Thank you, Jean... You're the best, even if you dont think so..." I said. And I could have sworn I heard him say, "Happy Birthday, Marco..." I slept very well that night. What Jean had given me was something that I'd needed for a long time.

In early July, we prepared for the road trip. Jean had rented a van and Reiner volunteered to drive. So we piled all our crap in. And I'd managed to convince my new friends to allow my Mattheius friends to come. And everyone was actually pretty excited. Our plan was kind of crazy and I didnt know if I could deal with these guys for so long:

Reiner and Annie were in the front, Bertholdt, Ymir, and Christa were behind them. Then it was Mikasa, Eren, and Armin behind them. Jean, myself, then Thomas. Behind us were Hitch, Mina, and Sasha. And Connie, the lucky butt, got the whole trunk to himself. As soon as we started from New York to Pennyslvania and everyone got somewhat settled, Reiner turned on the radio. Then everyone but Jean was singing to Partition by Beyoncé. It would be a long trip for him, I could tell. "I dont even know what this song is but it's fucking annoying..." He mumbled. I smirked slightly, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek before pulling his grey beanie down over his face. He spluttered and put it back the way it was before. "You're the best." I reminded him. He just rolled his eyes. "I sneezed on the beat and the beat got sicker!" Everyone exclaimed. Jean sighed. Eventually, the French part of the song came up and Jean groaned audibly. "Dude! You should tell us what this means!" Thomas said. Everyone agreed and Jean sighed, "It's the worst thing I've ever heard in my life..." "What does it mean?" I asked. "I'm gonna directly translate it. Ready?" Everyone make affirming sounds. Jean took a deep breath, "'Do you like sex?-'" "Okay! I'm done!" Eren said. We all laughed. "Hey!" Reiner exclaimed, "I want to know! Go on, Jean Grey." Jean smirked, "I forgot. Sorry." Everyone groaned. "It was something about feminists liking sex or something." "The fuck?!" Connie yelled from the back. Everyone spluttered and laughed. "Yeah. It was weird as fuck." Jean said. "You should teach me French." I said. Jean half smiled at me, "Only if you teach me how to throw clay properly. I fucking suck." "Oooh!" Sasha exclaimed, "Is there going to be a Ghost movie scene with Whoopie Goldberg and Demi Moore?" Jean and I cracked up. "Oh my God!" Jean exclaimed, "Is Marco Whoopie Goldberg?" I laughed harder. "Jesus Christ!" Everyone else started laughing at that. "Marco is Whoopie!" Thomas exclaimed. I was almost crying. "I cant-!" I exclaimed. Thomas patted me on the head as I forced myself to calm down. I rested my head on his shoulder and wiped my tears away. Thomas put an arm around my shoulders, patting the one closest to Jean. I found myself drifting off after a couple of hours, unbuckling my seatbelt and resting my head on Thomas' lap. It was pretty quiet other than the radio and some idle chatter. I fell asleep to fingers in my hair. I hoped Jean didnt mind. I'd really missed Thomas. He was my closest friend. I jolted awake at a huge bump. It was dark out and everyone was asleep, for the most part. When I woke up, startled, Thomas didnt even move, but Jean did, snorting out a last snore. I sat up, rubbing my eyes and Jean lifted his head off of the window and just flopped it onto my shoulder. I smiled slightly, holding him close to me. I leaned my head against his' and started to drift off. But was awoken by Jean's sleep talking. It was quiet but I listened closely. "Bu' I cant take care of it... It was only one before..." I narrowed my eyebrows. What was "it"? He shifted uncomfortably and I just held him closer. "You said you' take care of the puppy..." Oh thank God. I sighed with relief. I didnt know, before, what he'd been talking about, but if it wasnt a puppy, there would be some issues. I fell asleep with him close to me. The next few days consisted of stopping at random locations. Jean made fun of everything we did. Which started to annoy Thomas and Mina slightly. Hitch and I let them know, though, that he was really interested. And that he was just stubborn. On one of our last stops in Pennyslvania, he was the last to get in the van and we almost left him behind because he wouldnt hurry up. But I got out to go and get him, and they didnt want to leave me. So we continued on to West Virginia.

"Can someone else drive?" Reiner asked, clearly exhausted, when we were coming out from eating lunch. Everyone was quiet. "I'll drive." Jean spoke up. I smiled, "Shotgun." I called. Jean smiled lovingly at me. "Wait." Thomas said, "But I want to hang out with you in the van, man!" I smiled, "We have hung out, Tommy!" "Yeah but we havent hung out in a while." He said. I laughed slightly, "Maybe Bert would let you switch with him. "Sure." Bertholdt replied. We made our way to the car and Bert sat where we had been sitting before, along with Reiner and Annie. Then Thomas sat behind the passenger's seat, next to Ymir and Christa as Jean started up the van and I sat in the passenger's seat, pulling my seatbelt on. We started rolling and I reached over, turning on the radio. It was around midnight when I was awoken by a random swerve of the van. "Wha-?" I exclaimed. I heard people waking up behind me, as well. Jean looked like he was about to pass out. "Pull over..." I said. He swerved again and I said in a more demanding tone, "Jean pull over now." His head snapped up and he rubbed one of his eyes, gripping the wheel tightly, "I'm alright." He said. "Jean. Bro." Thomas said, "Pull over. You're endangering all of us." Jean sighed and bit his lower lip before pulling over. "Who's taking over?" Jean called tiredly behind us. Everyone was quiet then I sighed, "Me." I'd gotton my license recently so I could help out with the driving if need be. "Y'sure...?" Jean mumbled to me, worried. I smiled, nodding, before getting out of the van. Jean and I switched places and I drove for the rest of the night. I was alright to drive the next day, too. But nobody trusted me. "Slow down!" Connie yelled from the back. "Shhh!" I responded. "More like speed up!" Thomas exclaimed. I smirked and slammed on the gas. Everyone started freaking out. "Holy-!" Jean exclaimed. I slowed down, grinning. "Uhm. Marco?" Connie said. Then I heard the sirens. "Crap..." I said, looking in the rearview mirror at the flashing lights and seeing Connie duck down so I wouldntget flagged for that, too. I pulled over. "Shit, Marco..." Jean said. I looked into my side mirror at the lady cop walking to my window. I took a deep breath and waited until she got up there, to roll my window down. "Hello, sir." She said, "Do you know why I've stopped you?" I smiled guiltily, "I was going too fast, ma'am. I'm sorry." She blinked at me, "Yessir. License and registration, please." She said. "Okay. I'm going to reach into my pocket. That's where my license is." I replied. She nodded and I pulled my wallet out of my pocket, smiling, and pulling out my stuff. I handed it to her and she sighed, heading away. "Why did you have to speed up, Marco?" Jean asked, looking genuinely worried. "Dont worry." I reassured. We were quiet until the lady came back, handing me my stuff, "I'm going to let you off with a warning, sir. Just this once." "Ah! Are you sure?" I asked. She nodded, "Just. This. Once." "Well thank you. That brightens my day." "Have a good one." She said before walking away. "You, too!" I replied, rolling up my window abd waiting for her to get back on the oad before I did, myself. The van was quiet until everyone started cheering. Jean just looked dumbfounded. Then my boyfriend suddenly started punching my arm, over and over. "O-Ow! Stop! I'm driving!" I exclaimed. "What the fuck was that?!" He yelled at me, "Fuck you! Fuck you fuck you!" "Quit it!" I laughed, grabbing the hand closest to me and holding it close. He growled and punched me one last time in my stomach with his free hand. "Ow!" I exclaimed, "Jeez..." He was scowling. I squeezed his hand and he leaned his head against the window, sighing. "Marco was too hot for that cop lady!" Reiner boomed. "It's not fucking fair!" Jean exclaimed. I smirked softly. "I got a taser pulled on me last time I got pulled over!" He continued. "What did you do?" I asked, knitting my eyebrows together. "Nothing. I just went for my license in my pocket and the guy pulled a taser out." "That's why you tell them what you're doing." I said. "It wasn't my fault..." Jean said, "I'm just a massive weirdo." "I don't think that you're a weirdo, honey." I reassured. Everyone had gone back to their regular conversations. "You're the only one..." Jean said. "No I'm not..." I said. "Oh yeah?" He asked. I nodded, "Yes!" "Guys!" Jean called behind him, "Do you think I'm a weirdo?" "No!" Mostly everyone exclaimed. "See?" I whispered to him. Jean sighed, turning back around. I squeezed my boyfriend's hand. "I did when I first met you, though." Eren said. Everyone agreed with that. Jean groaned, "I knew it." "Well I didnt... I love you." I said. Jean sighed, "Love you, too."

We ended up camping in a spot in West Virginia. Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, Christa, and Ymir managed to call the van so the rest of us slept outside. We had seven tents, not that we needed them all. "Okay." I said, "Who is staying in a tent with who?" Thomas started to say something but Jean cut him off with, "I'm with Marco and no one else!" I laughed softly and smiled, "Okay, Jean." I agreed. Thomas wanted to sleep alone, Hitch and Mina were together, Connie went with Sasha, and Eren's squad was together. Jean and I picked a spot then we started setting up our tent. "Do you think Thomas is mad at me?" I asked as Jean turned the instructions upside down. He shrugged, "Dunno. These instructions are fucking annoying." I smirked, taking them from him. "Let me see." Jean yawned and I could tell he was very exhausted. We built the tent as quickly as we could then changed clothes inside the tent. "These jeans are starting to stink." Jean said as we were sitting inside. "TMI." I replied. "I'm just saying. Maybe you could be a good househusband and clean them." He added. I laughed, "Oh! Wow! Okay! Maybe I'll just go stay with Tommy!" "No! Dont leave me!" He exclaimed, rolling over to me and wrapping his arms around my waist, lying on his stomach. I grinned and smacked his butt. "Hey!" He jerked away from me. I laughed more. He laughed softly, "You're an ass!" "I touched the butt." I responded. "Did you just reference Finding Nemo, you fuck?" He exclaimed. "Yes!" I responded, "Nice boxers, by the way." His boxers had Ghost Busters symbols all over it. He smirked, "Thanks." "Ghost Busters are pretty sexy." I said. He snorted, "Thanks." He said again. "Do you even know how much I love you?" I asked, leaning close to him. He half smiled, "Dunno..." He replied. I kissed him softly for a breif moment, "Well, trust me when I say it's a fuck ton." He chuckled in response, "Love you, too, Freckles..." "Have you called me that before?" I asked. He shrugged, "Dont remember." I pulled him close to me and he smirked. "I want you to know that I love you... And that you're the best. And that I've never thought you were weird..." I said. His smirk faded, "Thanks, Marco..." He said. "I know how self conscious you are..." I continued, "And I want you to know that I'll always be here for you. To talk about anything at all, okay...?" Jean looked away from me and mumbled something unintelligible. "Hm...?" I asked. "Dont pity me." He said louder. "I'm not! I just dont want you to feel alone. That's all. I dont want you to think you're worthless, understand, honey?" Jean sighed, his expression softening. He nodded, understanding, "I'll always come to you..." He said. I smiled softly. He smiled back. I kissed all over his face and neck. He pushed against me, "Quit it!" He exclaimed. "Shh!" I breathed into his neck, "People are trying to sleep." "I dont care." Jean said. I pulled away and smirked at him, reaching for my book. The sleeping arrangement was odd. Some people had sleeping bags but Jean and I had a roll out mat with a fitted sheet over it, a comforter, and pillows. Because I always go above and beyond. And Jean seemed grateful as he cozied up under the blanket. I smiled softly and got under the covers, as well, reaching over and turning off the flashlight illuminating the tent ceiling. I opened my book, turning on the book light attatched to it. "Nerd..." Jean mumbled to me. I smiled softly, "Goodnight, Jean... I love you..." I said. "Love you, too..." He replied. I stayed up, reading, for a while, past the time when Jean's snores and sleep talking filled the space. I only realized that he was cold when I felt him shivering but it must have been quite a few minutes after he fell asleep. I turned off the book light and closed the pages, setting it down on the tent floor then hugging Jean close to my chest. He turned over to face me as I pulled him over. I kissed his forhead and smiled softly, cuddling him closer. Then I drifted off.

We woke up to Eren's loud voice, "Wake up, assholes!" He was yelling. I snapped awake, which snapped Jean awake. "Hey!" I heard Connie yell. "Oh sorry." Eren said, "Wake up, assholes. And Marco!" He corrected. I smirked, rolling my eyes and sitting up. Jean held onto me, however, groaning. I smiled and leaned down, kissing him softly, "Wake up, beautiful." He smirked softly and cracked an eye open before sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He turned and looked over his shoulder, then he looked around the tent with wide eyes. "What?" I asked. "Where the fuck is my guitar?" Jean said. Oh... I looked around, too. Suddenly, we heard very loud, terrible strumming outside and Eren screaming. Jean nearly fell getting out of he tent, "What the fuck?!" He yelled, "Give me that!" I got out of the tent, too. "Nice boxers!" Eren yelled as he dodged Jean's attacks. Jean finally grabbed the neck of his guitar and ripped it out of Eren's hands, "Where's the case?" Jean asked, breathless. "You have to find it, bro." Eren said. "What the fuck?! This aint Easter! Give me it!" Jean yelled. Eren put his hands up, "Jesus! Okay!" He said, going into his own tent and pulling the case out. Jean yanked it away from him, growling. "Play something for us, Jean!" Reiner boomed as he got out of the van. "No!" Jean exclaimed, "And you can thank Eren for putting me in a shit mood!" Everyone started groaning and blaming Eren. "Marco." Reiner said. I looked at him and he waved me over. I obliged, making my way to him. "Are you gonna drive today?" He asked. "Yes." I said. "When do you want to leave?" He asked. "In a couple of hours, I'd say." Reiner nodded then boomed, "Everyone get dressed! We're leaving in two and a half hours!" "Why a half?" Sasha asked. "Because Marco said that!" Reiner responded. "I did not!" I exclaimed, rolling my eyes and smiling. So we got dressed and Jean wouldnt stop complaining about not being able to wear his good jeans because they smelled bad so I took them from him and went to find a creek. Armin came along with me to clean some clothes of his own. "So how are you and Jean doing?" He asked as we were walking. I smiled, "Great..." "You guys are so cute." He said, smiling at me. I smiled more back, "Thank you." "How did that job thing go?" He asked. "Oh yeah. I got the job but I'm starting in September. It's a nice restaurant." "We'll have to come sometime and see you in action." Armin said. I laughed softly and nodded. "How are you doing?" I asked, "Your grandparents doing alright?" "My grandfather died a month or so ago..." Armin replied, looking down. "O-Oh... I'm sorry, Armin." I said, touching his shoulder. He smiled at me, his eyebrows knitted together, "It's alright... I mean, my grandma is doing okay." I nodded, "That's good to hear... What are your plans after college?" "I'm hoping to go into painting." Armin replied, "I think I'd like to teach it." "Really? I think that's what I'd like do, too. Ceramics is a really nice field and making a living off of that would be great, but I'd also like to teach art, too." Armin nodded vigorously, "That's how I feel, too." "Jean's going into illustration. He'll make a living off of that." I said. "Oh wow! You convinced him? We've been trying to convince him for years." Armin revealed, "He didnt want to do it because he thought his dad would be even more dissapointed in him than he already was." "R-Really...?" I asked, "Wow... I didnt... Know about that." Armin nodded, "Yeah... But I guess since the issues are worked out, he doesnt feel chained anymore." I nodded in agreement. Armin and I reached a clean looking creek. "I would have waited until we drove past someplace to clean these but Jean wouldnt stop complaining." I said. Armin laughed, "I get it! Trust me! We all do." He shook his head, smiling, "Jean is always like that." I sighed, "I know... I love him, though..." Armin nodded, "He's a good guy." I smiled softly and nodded, sitting and starting to clean my boyfriend's jeans as Armin cleaned his own. I sighed softly.

After a while, I suddenly felt something sharp press against my back. I stilled. "Dont move." I heard an unfamiliar voice say. Crap crap crap. I looked at Armin and he was still, too. Oh God. I didnt know how many there were. "Get up." I stood immediately. "You, too, blondie." Armin stood with a squeak. We locked eyes and I turned my head slightly, to study the situation. There were four of them. One had to be a girl based on he body shape. She had a pistol. The two behind Armin and I had knives. And the other didnt seem to have anything but he was big. They had masks on. I couldnt see their faces. I had to come up with something. I locked eyes with Armin again. "Give us all the money you have." "I'm sorry. We dont have anything on us." I said. "Oh really?" He asked. I nodded, gulping. "Take us back to your camping spot." I sighed shakily, "There's nothing there, either..." "Bullshit. Take us there!" A feminine voice exclaimed. Great. "You lead, freckles." "Dont call me that." I said as I was pushed back towards the direction of the camp, Armin and I leaving the clothes behind. "Excuse us?" The girl yelled right in my face. I grimaced and started leading them towards the camp. I wanted to do something but risking mine and Armin's lives at the same time held me back. I knew if we outnumbered them, we'd be okay. But I couldnt do anything extreme unless I wanted one of us to get really hurt. If only I could warn the group somehow. Armin came up next to me, pushed by one of them. We locked eyes again and I tried to silently convey to him that I thought we should steer them away from the camp. He winked at me, affirming my plan. And the two of us turned away from the clearing, off in another random direction. Armin knew the situation and I supposed he didnt mind if he got hurt. After a while, my phone started buzzing in my pocket and the girl took it out. Crap. It was probably Jean asking where I was. "Aww! Is bae texting?" She asked, "Ooh! A guy, huh? Maybe I should let him know where you are?" "N-No!" I exclaimed, "Leave him out of it. You already have me." "Okay. I'll let him know that you dont need him anymore." She said. "Dont say anything to him, please. He hasnt done anything..." I pleaded with her. "Oh well." She replied, tapping away at my phone. I gulped. She was going to dump him from me... I didnt want that at all. I took a shaky breath. He'd be heartbroken. It was a long time until they started suspecting that something was up. "Where the fuck is your camp?!" The guy behind me exclaimed, pressing his knife into my back. I tensed up then turned, knocking the knife out of his hand then tackling the girl with the gun. I didnt know what Armin was doing so I just grabbed the gun as quickly as I could, knocking the girl out with the hilt of it. When I turned, the other three had Armin pinned. "Dont move!" I sighed and Armin looked so terrfied, eyes wide. I tackled the blonde to the floor, the gun going off. I heard a loud yelp come from the biggest guy. Got him in the leg or something. Then I felt a sharp stabbing in my shoulder. I cried out and turned over, rolling off of Armin and shooting the gun off again. I got up and grabbed the guy who'd stabbed me, holding the gun to his head and coughing slightly. The stab wound was halfway between my shoulder and my neck. I could be in some trouble if I didnt get it treated soon. The other guy held his hands up, dropping his knife. I noticed the girl waking up and the guy who I'd shot in the leg, standing. "Armin..." I said, "C-Call the police..." "No wait!" The guy I was holding exclaimed, "Please dont! We're just trying to-" I suddenly felt sharp pain in my side and I jerked back, stumbling and dropping the gun. He didnt stab me with the knife, but instead, sliced me in the side. And before I knew it, all four of them were gone. "OhGodohGodohGod!" Armin exclaimed as I struggled for breath. "Calm down..." I said. Armin took a deep breath as I sat down. He took off his jacket and shirt, ripping apart the shirt and tying it around the wound in my side. He put back on his jacket and zipped it up then pressed another wad of shirt on my shoulder. I held that in place as he helped me up. "My phone... She had it..." I said. "It's there." Armin said, picking up my phone off of the floor, "Must've fell out of her pocket." Thank God. I had over fifty messages... Most from Jean. "Jesus..." I said. "I must have a lot, too." Armin said as we started walking back in the direction of the camp. I sighed shakily, wincing in pain as I read the message that the girl had sent Jean. It said, "Sorry, dear, but I'm dumping you. Should have thought more about your actions." I held my breath. That broke him. He sent a million messages. Asking why. What did he do? He can change. He can do something. He'll make it up to me. I had missed calls, too. I listened to one voicemail of Jean sounding broken and saying the same things. Why? He can change. Etc. It broke my heart. "Shit..." I said, feeling sharp pain and gasping for breath. "Oh my God..." Armin said, "We need to call 9-1-1." "No!" I exclaimed, gulping, "N-No... It's okay... I'll be okay..." "Let me look at it." He said. I nodded, lying down on the ground. Armin examined the wound and he eventually sighed in relief. "Okay. It's just a slice. You're okay... It's not horribly deep... You'll need stitches, though... And I bet it hurts." He then examined the one on my shoulder area. "This one is deeper... But it hasnt ruptured anything. No arteries or anything. You'll be okay if we get you back to the camp and have Mikasa look. She's the one who knows what to do." I nodded slightly as he helped me up again. I called Jean. He answered with a, "M-Marco! Please dont dump me... You dont understand how important you are to me!" I gulped. He was crying. "Jean..." I breathed, "I'm not dumping you... I got... Armin and I got pinned by some people... They wanted us to lead them to the camp and take everything we had... One of them noticed you texting me and texted you back, saying I was dumping you..." Jean was quiet except for his sniffling, "How can I believe that...?" He asked. "Why would I lie to you, honey...? I dont even call you 'dear'. I dont think I've ever used that pet name for you... Armin and I are on our way back..." "You need to prepare medical supplies, Jean!" Armin exclaimed into the phone. "H-Hah?" Jean asked. I could tell he had calmed down. He wasnt crying. Now he was confused and concerned. "I got hurt..." I said, "Just prepare... We'll be back soon..." "Marco. Are you okay?" He asked. He trusted me. "I-I'm not doing too well..." I said. "I'll get everthing ready." He replied, "Just relax." "I love you..." I said. He took a shaky breath, "I love you, too... I'll be waiting for you..." "K-Kay..." I replied, hanging up. Now I saw how neglected he'd been before. Any type of betrayal broke this sweet man. He didnt deseve the heartache. I hated that woman for hurting him... But... I hoped those people got back on their feet at some point. They'd gotton away. And we didnt turn them in... They had a chance to turn it all around. Something told me they'd be back to the spot again, later on. Armin and I made it back to camp by midday. It took a while to get there and by then, I was exhausted and I'd lost some blood. Not nearly enough to kill me. But some. We broke into the clearing and I was struggling for breath, leaning against Armin. "Shit..." I heard Connie breathe. "Oh my fuck!" Jean exclaimed, coming over to us, "Shit!" "Bring him here." Mikasa said. Armin did so and as soon as he let me go, I collapsed. I couldnt help it. I was so tired... Mikasa pulled me into a better position and I dont even know what she did.

All I know is that I came back into full consciousness at least a few hours later, in Jean and my own tent. I sat up, groaning slightly. I heard talking outside and I realized that I didnt have a shirt on. Great. I looked around. No shirt available. I sighed, getting up and going out of the tent, wincing. "Marco." Sasha said. I realized that it was dark out. "What're we still doing here...?" I asked. "We wanted to give you time to-" "No." I said, rubbing my eyes, "We have to go... What if they come back or something...?" They all stared at me. "Well. We wanted you to decide what we were going to do." Eren said. I shook my head, processing, "Are you serious? Take control. Come on." "I told you!" Jean exclaimed, standing. I looked at him. "I got everything packed up with only Connie, Sasha and Armin's help because nobody wanted to do anything without your word, Marco! I wanted to leave so the rest of us wouldnt get stabbed!" Jean stomped over to the van and I realized that, literally, everything was packed up. Jean had taken initiative. But since he couldnt make everyone get in the van, he couldnt do anything. I bet he'd yelled at them. I bed he tried to force them... But... They didnt listen. "Listen to Jean next time, please..." I said, pulling the makeshift bed out and starting to take apart the tent, "Whether I'm there or not or agree with what he's saying. He knows how to handle these situations..." Connie helped me pack it up and get it into the van. I noticed that people were apologizing to Jean for not trusting him. He'd forgive them then shrug. "Can I please have a shirt?" I asked. "No." Jean said. I smirked and he smirked back, "You shouldnt, though. In all seriousness. It'll be uncomfortable." He continued. I sighed softly and nodded. He was right. We all piled into the van and I checked my pockets. I did have my phone. "Marco, do you want us to drive you home?" Reiner asked as he got into the passenger's seat. "Wha-? To Montana?" I exclaimed. "Yeah." Reiner responded. "We're already going through there, right? Just stick with the regular route and if I want to leave when we get there, I'll let you know." I said. "Okay, dude." He replied. I sighed and leaned my head on Jean's shoulder. He was scowling, "Armin explained to us what happened..." He said, "I'm pissed." "It's okay, Jean..." I said. "No it fucking isnt! Are you crazy?!" He exclaimed, "Can't you just be angry for once?!" I sighed, lifting my head off of his shoulder, "Jean... Love and tolerance. That's what I go off of." Jean growled, "Fucking hippie..." "I dont hold grudges." I continued, "That's not how I am." "I know!" He said, "And it pisses me off! Just be angry for once..." "Man, no good comes in anger." Thomas defended. "Goddammit..." He growled, leaning his head against the window, "I want to kill those fucks..." "Hey..." I said, touching his arm. He jerked his arm away from me, "Please calm down... I dont want you to be angry... You can be angry for Armin. And I only say that because I cant speak for him. But not me... Because I'm not upset... I mean, I'm upset that-" "dont worry, guys!" Armin exclaimed, "It just startled me, slightly! I'm okay. Dont be angry for me. I agree with Marco. Those people just need help, that's why they resort to stealing and violence. That's all." I nodded, "See, Jean?" "You shot one of them." Jean said, "If that's 'love and tolerance', I clearly know nothing." I sighed, "I only resort to violence for others. Not for myself. I mean, if I'm being hurt by someone physically, I'll make them stop with force, but not enough to hurt them..." "Bah shut up." Jean said, waving his hand at me. I gripped his hand in my own and leaned over to him, giving him a stern look, "You should be worried about your jeans, Jean." He grimaced at me, "I dont give a shit about the fucking jeans. They're gone." I smiled softly. Good job, Jean... I nuzzled my nose against his' and he jerked away, "Stop it!" He exclaimed, looking back out the window. I smiled wider and sighed softly. "Marco." Mikasa said. I looked at her and she was turned around in her seat to look at me, "Neither of your wounds should scar. I cleaned them really vigorously and patched them up well." I nodded, yawning. "Thank you, Mikasa." It was quiet. "Well that was a fucking crazy day!" Reiner boomed. Everyone laughed slightly in exhausted agreement.


	35. Ten Steps at a Time CH 23 (M)

The next few weeks consisted of me walking very slowly. My stitches had begun to dissolve by the time we were in Colorado, though. And they were slowly going away. And I didnt have to wear so mucch on my cut wound as before. Thomas decided to finally tell us that he had something. Luckily, it was legal in Colorado. And he had the legal amount that people who werent residents in the state were allowed to carry. So I for sure took part in it. We were camping again and we vowed to stick together in threes or fours this time. My Mattheius friends wanted me to smoke with them like old times but I didnt want to leave Jean out. They eventually pulled me away from the clearing. I felt guilty. He was my boyfriend. "I feel like I should bring Jean..." I said. "Oh come on!" Thomas said, "We want to hang out with you like old times." "You keep talking about 'old times' and 'before'..." I said. "Yeah, man!" He responded. Mina nodded, smiling, "We miss you!" I understood. I gently pulled my arm away from Thomas and sighed as they stopped walking, turning to me, confused. "Guys... I know you miss me... And I know you want to hang out with just me... But... Hanging out with just me... That doesnt exist anymore. Especially not if my boyfriend is there. I'm going to go get Jean." I said, going back into the camp and waving Jean over. "Be prepared. I told them you are my priority." I warned. He nodded, locking his fingers with mine. We caught up with them and Thomas grinned slightly, "You gonna try it, Jean?" Jean shrugged in response, "Maybe. Have an ambulance on standby." I smirked and kissed his cheek, "I think you'll be okay. Didnt you say that your mom gets a reaction from smelling it, too?" I said. He nodded. "And you've smelled it before." I finished. "Yeah. I guess." Jean said. We found a spot to sit and I sat down, pulling Jean into my lap. Jean spluttered and rolled away from me. I laughed. He sat up and just placed his butt down next to me, "I aint your girlfriend!" I put my hands up in defense, "Okay! Goodness gracious!" He grinned at me and took my hand again. I smiled as my other three friends sat down. We formed a circle. Jean did not enjoy the first hit. He coughed nonstop. I patted hus back, laughing softly, "You okay?" He nodded and gained control, gulping, "Jesus Christ!" He exclaimed. "Any allergic reaction yet?" I asked as he handed the blunt to me. He shook his head, "I'll let you know." I smiled and nodded. I took a long hit. Because I needed it. Before handing it off to Mina. Jean didnt have an allergic reaction. And he got better at smoking it. The second time around, there was some coughing, but by the third, he was fine. "It's weird. Because I've smoked cigarettes and I still do when I'm stressed out but this isn't the same." He said. "Really?" I asked, "I would have thought that you'd be used to smoking by now." "It's just the taste that threw me off... It was random." Jean said. I nodded, "Right." I turned to address everyone, "Did I ever tell you guys that story about that time in highschool when I tripped out so hard that I didnt know what was happening at all. I may as well've been unconscious." My friends shook their heads. "Well... I bought this stuff off of someone and they told me it'd make me trip really bad. I smoked with... Walt. My Junior year, I think." "Wait. You were still smoking your junior year?" Jean asked. "Every now and then." I responded. "You smoked with Walt? What is this?" Thomas exclaimed. I laughed softly, "Anyways. It started off normal. Like how this is. All relaxed and slightly giddy. Then it just got weird... I was so confused. Later on, Walt said that I was saying a lot of weird stuff. But I dont remember. He gave me a ride home and I kept asking him to pull over so I could get something to spray myself with. I mean, that makes sense if you dont want your parents to know. But we werent even in the inner city anymore. We were out where my house was. It was just bad. And I had a massive headache the next day." "Well that doesnt sound too bad." Hitch said. "I barfed, too." I said, "While I was tripping out." "Oh. That's bad, then." Hitch corrected. "How did you get valedictorian...?" Jean asked, "How do you do half the things you do?" I smiled at him, "Because I'm awesome." He smirked and I leaned in, kissing him once. "What kind of drunk are you?" Jean suddenly asked me as he was handed the doobie. I smiled softly and shrugged, "Ask them." I said, gesturing to my three friends. Jean turned to them as he took in the smoke. Then he passed it to me, licking his lips. Crap. I was getting a little hot... But I couldnt do anything about it right this minute. "He's really blunt." Mina said, "He says anything that comes to mind. He's also extremely flirty." I laughed softly and nodded, passing the blunt to Mina again after taking some in, "Yeah..." "It's no wonder you had so many boyfriends." Thomas added. "What?" I asked. "Well. Come on. A cute guy walks up to you and starts flirting with you nonstop, being all adorable. Are you going to say no?" I blinked then laughed harder, feeling flushed, "Thanks, Tommy!" I exclaimed. Now I was giddy. "He's getting giggly." Mina pointed out. I couldnt stop laughing now that I'd started. "It's never going to end now." "Shit. Really?" Jean asked. I lied down on the ground on my back, sight and letting out a few laughs. I felt great. "I needed this..." I mumbled. Jean locked eyes with me and they crinkled at the edges as he smiled at me. I smiled back softly. "Love you..." He said. "Love you, too..." I replied. "Are you more relaxed?" I asked him. He nodded, "Yeah. Im really relaxed..." "Good... You deserve to get some stress off of your shoulders..." I said. He hummed in response. Eventually, Thomas put everything away, saying that we should save some. I'd had more than enough anyways. My three friends said that they were going to go find someplace to go to the restroom then go and put the stuff back in the clearing. Jean and I nodded in response and almost as soon as they were gone, I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe I could do something now. I pulled him down on top of me and he smirked, pressing his hands against my chest and humming softly. I smiled at him and he half smiled back, "You're so perfect..." He said. I laughed softly and shook my head, "I think you are..." "Hey... We passed a lake, right...?" He asked. I nodded. "Wanna go swimming...?" I raised an eyebrow slightly, "Y'wona skinnydip, Jean...?" He nodded and flushed pink. "Okay... Yeah. Let's go..." I said. He kissed me softly once then got up. He pulled me up and we headed towards the lake. This would be interesting. I already had enough trouble controlling my actions around this gorgeous man. Both of us being naked and wet in the same place at the same time-plus being stoned... Goddamn... I was going to lose it. We reached the lake and it looked very clean, thank goodness. Jean smirked softly at me then he pulled his beanie off and dropped it to the floor, ruffling his hair. I took a deep breath and pulled my shirt off. Jean was suddenly at my side, "How are these doing...?" He asked me, running his fingers along the scabbed over cut on my side. I shivered slightly, "They're doing better..." I said. "I'm still pretty upset about what happened..." He said. "I'm okay." I said. He nodded in response and pulled his shirt over his head as I unbuckled my belt and pulled my jeans off. I set the clothes next to where Jean was putting his own clothes. I pulled my feet out of the flipflops they were in and Jean pulled his converse and socks off. I smiled softly at the, familiar but never any less exciting, now stripped body of my boyfriend. I sighed softly. He locked eyes with me and half smiled, then pulled me over to him, arms around my waist. Jean looked so good... He'd been gaining muscle. Since he was now in the preferred weight range he should be at(around 139), he was allowed to do other exercise besides just walking. He wasnt going to the gym. He said he wasnt ready for that. But he'd been lifting ever so slightly and he'd started jogging. And it'd done him good in the past month. It wasnt a very noticable change. But he was slightly more muscular. And gorgeous. I rested my hands on his shoulders. "G-God you look amazing..." I breathed. He smiled wider and flushed deeper. "Are you gonna stay with this kind of muscle build...? Because it looks so good..." "Imuna go until I can pick you up..." He said. I laughed softly and nodded. "What if the three of them just walked over right now?" He continued. I laughed, "That'd be awkward. Come on..." I said, letting him go and heading into the lake, Jean following behind. He pulled me closer to him when we were at a level of water that we were comfortable at. I smiled softly and hugged him close to my chest. "Mm..." He hummed into my neck. I took in a deep breath and expelled it slowly. I was so relaxed. This was perfect. We kissed softly, tongues moving slowly. "We left for ten minutes!" We suddenly heard Hitch exclaimed. Jean and I let our lips part and looked in the direction of her voice. The three of them were smirking at us. I laughed softly and shrugged. Jean just got closer to me, clearly self conscious. I wrapped my arms farther around him so he'd feel secure. Our lower halves were hidden under the water, luckily. I didnt mind but Jean clearly did. "We just wanted to spend some time together." I said. "Well you do that, crazies." Mina said as the three of them headed away. Jean visably relaxed in my arms. I kissed him softly, "You dont have to be scared..." I reassured softly into his mouth, "You look so good..." He sighed, "I just dont want anyone seeing my dong, idiot..." He replied. I laughed, "Okay. I understand." I said. He grinned at me softly. I smiled back and kissed him lovingly. We kissed slowly and lazily as we explored eachother's bodies with our hands. "Mm..." I breathed into his mouth as he slid his hands up my thighs, groping them slightly. He pulled me closer, pushing his hands on my butt. I slid my thumbs against his upper arms. "So pretty..." He sighed softly. I smiled softly and he pulled away from the kiss slightly. Our eyes locking. He was quiet then he cleared his throat, "Can we... Do something...?" He asked. I nodded, "What do you wonna do...?" He took a deep breath before saying, "Can I... F-F-" "Yes." I whined, "Yes you can..." He kissed me roughly, palming at my buttcheeks softly. I groaned into his mouth as he sucked on my tongue. We slowly made our way to the opposite side of the lake to where our clothes were. There was a lot of grass on the end we were at. I got out of the water, lying down on the grass as Jean got over me, sighing shakily and spreading my legs apart slowly with his rough hands. "Jean..." I groaned softly, "Condom... In my jeans..." He nodded before getting up and jogging to get the condom out then jogging back. He was so hot... He put the rubber down next to us. He sighed softly and kissed me breifly. Then he pressed his fingers against my lips and I took them into my mouth eagerly, sucking gently and moving my tongue along them. He took a shaky breath and ground his hips down into mine. I moaned softly around his hand. "I hope you realize I've never done this..." He warned as he pulled his fingers out of my mouth. I panted softly and shook my head, "That's okay, baby... Just do what I was doing..." He nodded in response and reached down, pressing his index finger against my hole. I held onto his upper arms and spread my legs apart wider. He plunged his finger in and I groaned out loudly then I bit my lower lip. Jean half smiled at me, "Afraid our friends'll hear...?" I nodded breifly as his finger started moving in and out. It didnt feel amazing but it didnt hurt too bad... "You'd like it if they heard us..." Jean said, "You want them to know that we're having amazing sex..." Dammit of course Jean would be good at dirty talk... I moaned out softly as he pressed in a second finger. "Hng..." I sighed. Jean leaned in, kissing me wetly and slowly as he scissored his fingers. I sighed hotly into his mouth as he thrusted his fingers into me. I felt him push in a third digit and my legs shivered. Now it felt good. He pulled away from the kiss slightly, searching for that spot inside me. I panted hotly. He pressed his middle finger into it and I gasped, back arching slightly, toes curling. He half grinned at me then pulled his fingers out. He ripped open the condom and rolled it onto himself, then he pressed the head against the ring of flesh. I relaxed my body. He locked eyes with mine and leaned down. We kissed sloppily as he slid slowly into me. My body trembled in immediate pleasure and I moaned into my boyfriend's mouth. He gasped and bottomed out. He then moved away from the kiss, not knowing exactly where to put his hands. I panted. "M-My hips, J-Jean..." He immediately placed his palms on my hips and I hooked my legs around his waist. Then he started rolling his own hips  
slowly in and out. I let out a shaky breath, wrapping my arms around his neck. He moaned out softly. "F-Fuck..." He breathed. I felt so good... "Ahh... Jeaann..." I moaned out. He panted softly and thrusted in and out slowly and lovingly... I wouldnt have thought that Jean would be the type to want to make slow love. He opened his eyes and locked them with mine as he kneaded his fingers against my butt. I let a moan out... It slowly started to build up. Then he hit that spot inside of me and I took in a sharp breath, back arching in a wide bow, "Hnahh..." I sighed out. He moaned into my neck softly. I let my back relax slowly as he pushed against that spot in me with every thrust. I let out a shaky groan. Our eyes locked again and he half smiled softly, flushed, hair disheveled, and gorgeous. We kissed sloppily, making noises into eachother's mouths. He reached down and started pumping me slowly. I gasped softly and our lips parted with a smack. "Ohh..." I sobbed out. Jean groaned somewhat loudly. I could tell he was going to cum soon. He was clearly trying to hold it back. He was shaking and panting and his thrusts lost rhythm and became erratic. He even pulled out accidentally once. He milked me quickly and I cried out, feeling my own orgasm bubble up in my stomach. I'd never loved someone so much... He was my favorite... He was so perfect and beautiful... I focused on the expressions on his face and his shaky gasping was what pushed me over the edge. I gasped out sharply and my back arched, body shaking violently, mouth open wide, as I came hard into his hand, rolling my hips. "Annngh!" I cried out. He pushed into me and groaned out loudly as he shook, coming just qs hard as I had. We were eventually reduced to shaking messes on top of eachother. I laughed breathlessly and he shook with soft laughter as well. "That was good, Jean..." I sighed. He relaxed slowly, nodding, "S-Sorry I was so erratic..." I shook my head, "It's okay... We got there... Didnt we?" He nodded in response. "It was good, Jean... Dont worry..." He nodded again and pulled out, tying the rubber up and sighing softly. I smiled at him. "I'll go find a place to toss this..." He said. I nodded. He got up and went to get dressed into his underwear and jeans then he headed away from the lake. I just got into the lake, sighing contently and smiling softly. Jean was the best... He was so sweet... He came back soon enough and walked around to the side of the lake I was at. He sat down next to me on the shore. I smiled at him and he smiled back. He rolled his eyes, "They were all like, 'Ohhh! Did you get some?'" He said. I laughed softly, "What'd you say...?" I asked. "I said yes." He replied, grinning. I laughed softly and smiled wide, "Good..." "Y'still stoned?" He asked. I nodded slightly, closing my eyes, "What about you...?" I asked. "Kinda." He replied. Suddenly, a splash of water hit my face. I jerked and my eyes flew open. I spit out lake water. Jean was just laughing his ass off. I grabbed his arms and pulled him into the lake. He yelled out and came up, "My jeans!" He exclaimed. I laughed and pulled him close. He grinned and nuzzled his face into my neck. "Take them off..." I said gently. Jean obliged, pulled them off along with his underwear and placing them on the shore. I pulled him closer and smiled lovingly at him. He smiled just as lovingly.

We eventually went back to camp when it started getting dark, which was only around ten minutes later. I was still stoned. Not as immensely as before. But I knew my eyes showed it. We got dressed and Jean's jeans were slightly damp, which I laughed at him for. I refused to put on my shirt even though Jean wanted me to. Jean carried his shoes and socks and we just went right into camp. Everyone immediately started cheering and cat-calling. I laughed softly, feeling a little bit giddy as Jean steered me towards our tent. "Is he still stoned?" Sasha asked Jean. Jean nodded, "Yep." "Marco's one of those who cant sober up quickly." Thomas explained. "Rude." I said. "Shh." Jean patted my arm. I snorted and covered my mouth. "Ooh! Useful information!" Connie exclaimed. But Jean shut up him up with a glare. I laughed. Jean put a hand over my mouth, "Shh!" He said as I giggled around his hand. "Please dont spike my drinks or anything, Connie..." I said. Connie just smirked at me, looking like he wasnt taking me seriously in my state of soberness. "Okay! Marco is going to sleep now!" Jean said. "Aww no, Jean..." I said, "I cant... I havent been so relaxed in years. I cant let it go to waste..." My boyfriend gave me a look and shook his head. "I'm trying to save you from humility. Come on." He said, pulling me into the tent. He zipped it up behind us and I sighed, flopping down onto the makeshift bed, "Why, Jean...?" I asked. He smirked and kissed me softly, "You're ridiculous when you're stoned." "You're ridiculous is general..." I responded. He grinned and nuzzled his face in my neck, "Go to sleep..." He said. "I'll sleep if you stay here with me." Jean stared at me for a while, contemplating, then he sighed and pulled off his damp jeans and underwear, pulling on a new pair of boxers then ripped off his hat and shirt. I pulled off my own pair of jeans and kicked my flip flops on. They hit the wall of the tent and I laughed. "Stop that..." He said, pulling me down. I let him and grabbed the comforter, covering both of us with it. I sighed softly into my boyfriend's soft hair as I held him. "Mm..." Jean hummed, "You're fun when you're stoned..." I laughed, "Oh yeah...? What about when I'm sober...?" "Just as fun..." Jean replied. I pulled him up to eye level and kissed him. He kissed me back gently, our lips sliding slowly. He pulled away after a few moments, "You're so needy..." He said, cuddling up to me. "How ironic..." I said, "You little butt..." Jean snickered slightly and yawned. I realized that he was probably exhausted. So I pulled him closer and the two of us drifted off.

When I woke up, everything was clear as day as to what had happened the, literal, day before... And, luckily, none of it was embarassing, really... I yawned, moving slightly, and realizing that Jean was asleep in my arms. I smiled softly and leaned down, kissing his face, which scrunched up in annoyance. He groaned and cracked an eye cracked an eye open. I pecked him on the lips once and he sighed, closing his eye again, "Lemme 'lone... 'M tired..." He mumbled. I smiled softly, "Okay, honey..." I said, starting to get up. "N-No... Dont leave me..." He said, hugging me tighter. I knew he was still pretty much asleep. "I gotta get up, beautiful..." I whispered, rubbing his arm. He made a little whining noise and cuddled closer to my chest. I laughed quietly and kissed him softly, once more, before trying to pull away from my boyfriend. He just held on tighter. I smirked, "Come on, Jean..." I said. He shook his head. I sighed, cuddling back into bed with him and scratching his back gently. He took a deep breath and relaxed against me. I smiled softly as he drifted off again. I sighed with relief and gently pulled away from him. I grabbed a t-shirt, changed my underwear, then put some jeans on. By the time I was fully dressed, Jean was already back to being in a deep sleep. I left the tent, stretching. "Marco!" Armin exclaimed. "Good morning." Mikasa said. The two of them were sitting outside their tent, Armin reading a book, and Mikasa on her phone. I smiled, "Good morning." I headed over to them, rubbing my eyes, then sitting down. "Is Jean still asleep?" Armin asked. "Yep." I said, "He didnt want me to leave." Mikasa smiled slightly, "He's needy." "Thank you!" I said, "He always calls me needy! But I knew it was him." Armin laughed softly. "He talks in his sleep. I didnt realize that until this trip." I said. "He only does that when he's feeling excited or if there's, really, any shift in overall emotion." Armin explained. "Oh." I replied. That explained most of this trip. A few hours later, we were packed up and ready to go. I drove again.

It was a while later when we were in Montana. I didnt want to leave because we were doing this for Sasha's birthday. She said she didnt mind, though. Considering I'd gotton stabbed during the trip, I was allowed to make the choice of whether to stay or not. I decided that I wanted to go. And Jean and my Mattheius friends said they'd come with me. So Reiner drove us to my house. The front door opened when I got out of the van. My, now large, mother was there. "Marco!" She exclaimed, "What are you doing back here, silly?" My face immediately lit up. I went to her, hugging her close, "I came back a little early! I'll tell you the story soon." "Hey! Mrs. Bodt!" Reiner boomed from behind me. I pulled away from my mother. "Hello!" She said. "Right." I realized that I had to introduce her to the idiots she'd never met before. "This is Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, Christa, Ymir, Connie, Sasha, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin!" I said without a breath, gesturing to each of them. "Oh my goodness it's nice to meet you! You all should come in! I'm just starting dinner!" She exclaimed, waving us in. My friends immediately piled into the tiny house. I sighed and Jean half smiled at me, taking my hand as the two of us went in. I closed and locked the door behind us. "Just have seats anywhere, ya'll!" My mother exclaimed as she went into the kitchen. "Oh! Are these Marco's friends?" My dad asked. "Yes!" Mom responded, "This is-let's see if I can remember! Reiner. Bertholdt. Annie. Christa, Ymir. Connie and Sasha. Then Eren, Mikasa, and Armin!" She pointed at each of them before Eren's squad, Connie and Sasha, and Ymir and Christa had gone into the living room. "You got it right!" Reiner boomed in surprise. "Memory like an elephant!" She said, "Body like an elephant, too." "You look great." Bertholdt said, smiling. I smiled softly. My three Mattheius friends went into the kitchen and hugged my parents hello. "Jean!" My mom exclaimed when she saw him. She hugged him and he hugged her back, "Hey. You look well." He said. She laughed softly, "Thank you, Jean." My father shook Jean's hand and smiled. Reiner's group stayed in the kitchen along with Thomas, Mina, and Hitch. Jean and I went into the living room. We found that most of the seats were taken up. There was a chair left and I wanted Jean to sit in it but if I said that, he'd refuse. So I picked him up. "Wah! What the-?!" Jean exclaimed. Our friends laughed as I set him down in the chair and placed my own butt on the floor in front of the same chair. He sighed, "Asshole..." "Shhh." I replied. "Jean you should play us something." Armin said. "My guitar's in the van." Jean said. I smiled softly, "There's one right next to you." My dad's dark blue acoustic was sitting on it's stand next to the TV. Jean sighed, "I dont want to ruin your dad's guitar." He said. I shook my head, "You wont. And he wont mind if you play it. Go ahead." Jean reached for the neck of it and picked it up, swinging it around and hitting me in the head in the process. "Pfff! Sorry!" Jean laughed. I laughed, too, rubbing the side of my head, "Ow!" "See?" Jean exclaimed, "I'm gonna ruin it!" He examined the guitar for damages after it attacked me. "Is it okay?" I asked. "Yeah." He responded. "Are you okay?" Sasha exclaimed. I laughed, nodding, "Yeah." "Oh yeah!" Jean exclaimed, "My boyfriend got hit in the head." He leaned down and kissed where he'd hit me. I smiled at him, "I'm okay." I said. He grinned and leaned back in the seat, strumming the guitar once, "It's tuned." He said. I nodded, "He plays a lot." Jean started playing a pretty tune. "Sing." Connie said. Jean took a deep breath, "What'cho know bout me? What'choo what'choo know bout me?" We all cracked up, "What'choo know bout me? What'choo what'choo know? I said my lipgloss is cool! My lipgloss be poppin'! I'm standing at my locker! And all the boys keep stoppin'!" "Jean! What the Hell?" Eren exclaimed. "I'm so glad you stopped rapping that Drake song!" I said, laughing softly. "I had a yellow techno marine!" Connie exclaimed. "Then Kanye dropped it was polos and backpacks!" Ymir exclaimed. Good job, Marco. I groaned, slapping my forhead. "That was when Ethan was pushing a Subaru Hatchback!" Eren said. "Man I'm talking way before hashtags!" Jean finished, starting to strum along. Then they all said at the same time, "I was running through the six with my woes!" Then it was quiet other than Jean's strumming. I lowered my hand slowly. Armin spoke up, "... Are you guys-" "I WAS RUNNIN' THROUGH THE SIX WITH MY WOES!" All four of them screamed. Everyone jumped. Mike went insane. Then Connie started flipping out at the huge dog flipping out. "Who's yelling?!" My mother exclaimed. "You know how that shit go!" The three of them, who werent freaking out about my dog, exclaimed. "Hey!" My mom yelled. They stopped, looking towards the window between the kitchen and living room where my mother was. "No swearing please." She said. "Sorry, ma'am." They said. She smiled and nodded, going back to her cooking. I sighed and Jean ran a hand through my hair once. I smirked as he started strumming again. "Sing something serious." Mikasa said. Jean sighed, "I cant sing." "I'm sure you're great." I said. "Did you just say you cant sing?" Connie asked. Jean nodded. "You sang all through highschool, Jean!" The baldie continued, "You're so good! Just do it!" Jean groaned, "..." He started strumming a different tune. "... I'll use you as a warning sign..." He sang, "That if you talk enough sense then you'll lose your mind..." Shivers ran up my spine. He was good. He sounded amazing. "I'll use you as a focal point... So I dont lose sight of what I want..." Everyone was silent. "I've moved further than I thought I could... But I miss you more than I thought I would..." I knew this song. But I couldnt pinpoint it. "I'll use you as a warning sign... That if you talk enough sense then you'll lose your mind..." He sang beautifully. I turned to watch him and he flushed pink and focused on his hands playing the instrument like it was nothing. "I found love where it wasnt supposed to be... Right in front of me... Talk some sense to me..." I smiled softly, pulling my knees to my chest and closing my eyes. "I'll use you as a makeshift gauge... On how much to give and how much to take... I'll use you as a warning sign... That if you talk enough sense then you'll lose your mind..." He stopped strumming, "I'm done." "Aw what?!" Connie exclaimed. "Dude!" Ymir said, "You gotta finish it!" "Please finish it, Jean..." I said, my eyes opening. Our eyes met and he sighed, continuing his strumming. "I found love where it wasnt supposed to be... Right in front of me... Talk some sense to me..." Then he stopped, "The End." "You skipped parts of the chorus." Armin pointed out. Jean just shrugged, putting the guitar back on it's stand then leaning his head against the pillow on the top of the chair, yawning. "Dude." Connie said. "Hm?" Jean replied. "Can you pick up Marco yet?" He asked. Jean snorted, "I highly doubt it." "You should try it!" Sasha exclaimed. "I dont think it's possible..." Armin chimed in, "Just based off the amount of muscle that Jean already has, I dont see it happening." "Try it!" Ymir exclaimed. "Oh dear." Christa said, "Dont hurt yourselves." "I dont know about this..." I said. Jean stood, grinning, "Come on!" He exclaimed. I sighed, standing as well, hesitant, "How do you want to-?" "Bridal style!" Jean exclaimed, "That is the official test. Come on." "Oh God..." Armin said. "I dont know how this is going to work..." I said, "I'm not jumping." Jean laughed, "No. I'm not expecting you to. You'll probably die." He put a hand on my lower back and another on the backs of my knees. "I dont think I'm going to survive!" I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Okay... Ready?" Jean asked. "No. But go ahead." I responded. He smirked and started attempting to lift me. He made a sort of battle cry and I couldnt help but laugh... Right before he fell. I was still laughing, though, despite both of us being on the floor now. He laughed, too, "Oh shit! You okay?" He asked. I nodded, crying with laughter. "Oh my God you're so stupid!" Eren exclaimed, laughing. "Hey! Shut up, Jeagar!" Jean exclaimed, getting up then pulling me up as well. I realized that all of the people here in the living room were laughing so hard they were crying, just as I had done. I laughed more.

We all ate dinner then the five of is pulled our things out of the van and hugged everyone goodbye, wishing them good luck on their trip. Then the van left. "So why did you come back?" My mother asked as we went back into the house. "Right..." I said. I explained to her what had happened with the people trying to take our money and how I'd gotton stabbed. "What? Did you call the police?" She exclaimed. "Armin and I figured it wouldnt be worth it. Y'know? They're just trying to get by." My mom looked at me like she thought I was crazy. Then she looked at Jean who just shrugged. "What?" I asked, "I'm an adult. I can make my own choices." I then went into the living room and Mike whined at me, shaking his tail. "Is he crazy?" I heard my mom ask Jean. "I dont know. I called him a hippie but that didnt phase him." Jean replied. I smirked and flopped down on the couch. Mike jumped up and lied down on my chest. I laughed softly. "Marco's peace loving, man!" Thomas defended. "He shot one of them." Jean said. "I didnt want to!" I said, "Sometimes you have to do things like that to protect yourself and/or others. I find myself getting into more fights after meeting you, Jean." Jean came in and smirked at me, "I know. Move the dog." I smiled and gently pushed Mike on his side. He jumped off of the couch and I held my arms out to Jean. He cuddled up against my chest. "Marco." My mother came into the room, "I hope you know what you're doing." "I do." I said, "I'll be okay." "It just sucks because a lot of people love you," Jean said, "And you dont try to fully fight back when someone hurts you." I sighed, "I know... But, hey, at least I'm not forcing you to stop fighting. I know what I said before... About fighting with words, not fists. But I'm a hypocrite. And I actually wanted to beat up Gerald. I can be violent, too, sometimes..." Jean nodded, "I feel like I've gotton better at controlling my anger lately." "I think," My mother started, "That everyone in this world doesnt want to have to hurt someone else. But sometimes you have to in certain situations. In self defense situations, definately. It's just difficult, you know. So, while Marco did use self-defense, he figured he'd take the high road and hope that those people would follow his example, too. Is that right, honey?" She asked me. I nodded, "I couldnt have said it better myself, Mom." She nodded, too, and smiled then ruffled Jean's hair before heading back to the kitchen to talk with my friends and Dad. "I agree with your mom..." Jean said, "She's right. And I dont like hurting people, either but sometimes I just cant help it..." "I know..." I said, running my fingers through his sandy blonde hair. "You have the best hair." I said. He snorted, "Sure." "You do. It's so cool..." I said. "Thanks, Marco." He said. I smiled softly. I felt myself drifting off. I soothingly scratched along Jean's back. He relaxed slowly into my chest with a soft sigh. He fell asleep first and I followed close behind.

I woke up when it was still dark out. There was a blanket over the two of us. Jean's snoring filled the room and I craned my neck to see the clock on the side table at my feet. One am. Darn... The room was dark and Mike was lying on the floor next to the couch. I sighed softly, looking down at my boyfriend. I rubbed my thumbs against his back and he snorted a bit, turning his head to the other side. I smiled. He was perfect. He coughed lightly and I furrowed my eyebrows. I hoped he wasnt getting sick or something. I was still rubbing my thumbs along his back when he groaned. Then I stopped. "Wha...?" He breathed. Good job, Marco. "Shh..." I soothed, scratching his back softly, "Go back to sleep..." "Wha' time is it...?" "It's too late for you to be up... That's what time it is... Now go to sleep..." I responded. He sighed softly and rubbed at his eyes, lifting his head slightly. He was so cute. I leaned in and kissed him softly once, "Go to sleep, Jean..." "Maybe ina minute... I gotta pee..." He said, getting up and going down the hall. I watched him leave, smiling and stretching my body. I folded my hands behind my head. He came back soon enough and I threw the covers off of myself so he could resume his position. He smiled softly and did just that with a yawn. Then he pulled the covers back over us, awkwardly. I laughed softly and helped him. He smirked, "Dont make fun of me..." "I'm not... I love you." I said. "I love you, too..." He responded. "You're the best..." I reminded him as I gently slid my nails up and down his back. He relaxed slowly, resting his head on my chest. "You keep saying that..." He said. "I know..." I responded, "It's because it's true." "Shut up..." He mumbled. I nuzzled my face into his hair. "Just go back to sleep..." "Can we talk...?" He suddenly asked. "Y-Yeah. Sure... What about?" "After senior year..." He started, "What're we gonna do...? Live together? 'Cause the class has had this plan for a while to, like, live together. We figured it'd be easy as far as money is concerned..." "Hmm..." I said, nodding slightly, "I feel like that's a pretty good idea." "Yeah?" "Yes." I responded, "Why was I never told about that plan?" Jean shrugged, "I dunno... We've all known eachother for a couple years so I guess they were just waiting to see if they could trust you..." "Do you think they dont trust me? I mean, they still havent said anything about this to me. It's only been you..." "Dunno, Marco... Maybe. Maybe not. You'll have to ask..." "Uughhh... But, Jeaann... They were all in one place earlier... Now I have to waiiitt..." I whined. He laughed softly, "Then wait!" "But now it's inconvienient..." I said. "You're a baby." "Rude." "Whatever..." He said. I smiled softly. After a few breif moments, Jean's snoring filled the room again. I laughed gently and ran a hand through his hair. He is the cutest thing in the world. I couldnt get over it. I eventually drifted off, as well.

We woke up to Mike's loud barking. I groaned and Jean snorted awake. "Good morning!" Thomas exclaimed. "Uuggghh..." Jean groaned. "Get up!" He yelled, pulling Jean up. Jean stretched and I just rolled over, "Noo..." I mumbled. Jean snorted, "Let him sleep. He's a child." "Hey!" I exclaimed, "You're so mean!" Jean laughed. I sighed, rubbing my eyes and getting up. "I want to show Jean your valedictorian speech tape." "What? No." I said. "I want to see!" Jean exclaimed. I groaned, "I havent even seen it, Jean. I refused to." "Well now you get to!" Hitch exclaimed from the kitchen. "Ugh... Give me some time to wake up..." I responded. "Come eat breakfast, boys!" Jean and I did just that as Thomas flopped down onto the couch with Mina. "So you're going to watch your speech today?" My mother asked as I dug into what she had made me. "I guess so... I dont really want to but... It's fine." I said. "We dont have to." Jean said. "No no. It's fine, Jean." "Dude you totally rocked it!" Thomas exclaimed as he walked in. "I just remember feeling awesome then feeling embarassed later on." I said. "You were awesome!" Thomas continued, "Dont feel embarassed! Everyone loved it!" I sighed, "Okay..." "Why would you be embarassed?" Jean asked. I shrugged, "I just... It was just... Erg. I dont know. I'm just annoying..." "'Annoying?!'" My mother exclaimed, "You think you're annoying? Marco!" "I dont know!" I exclaimed. "You arent annoying." Jean said, raising an eyebrow and putting his plate into the dishwasher, "You're perfect. So shut up!" "Yeah!" Thomas agreed with Jean, "What he said!" Then my friends and parents all hugged me at once. I laughed softly, "Aww... You guys... Thanks..." Jean managed to get a quick kiss in. "Ugh. You taste like artificial bacon." He said. I laughed, "Thank you! I know!" He smirked and kissed my cheek. "You're annoying in an endearing way." He said. I laughed softly, feeling flushed, "Thanks..." I said, "Yeah... Let's watch the video. I'm okay... It's just so early for me." "It's noon, dude." Thomas said. "Oh what!?" I exclaimed. "Yeah." He said. "Aw man..." I said, "The day has been wasted..." "I knew you were gonna say that." Hitch said. I smirked, "It's because it's true. If you wake up late like that, there's barely any time to do anything."


End file.
